As The Falcon Flies By
by Akamaruuuu
Summary: While on a mission, Sakura gains the attention of a dark and mysterious vampire. Will he help her overcome her own darkness? Or will he just make it worse? And will her friends still believe in her, when all her secrets are revealed?
1. The Berries

**As The Falcon Flies By**

**Chapter 1 - The Berries**

* * *

_"When captured birds grow wiser, they try to open the cage with their beaks. They don't give up, because they want to fly again."_

_\- Genma Shiranui_

* * *

"You need to go out." A very serious Genma was standing in front of Sakura's desk, his arms crossed over his chest. "You know, fresh air and all that. I've heard oxygen is pretty good around this time of the year."

Muscles showed through the black fabric covering his arms, and the ever-present senbon stuck in his mouth, moving with each syllable.

Without looking up, she asked him, "Excuse me?" She had work to do. A lot. Kakashi had come back from a mission, with a _very_ sick Gai. Sick, as in his-face-was-as-green-as-his-suit-sick.

Their mission was to get rid of two missing-nin who were terrorising some small farm villages. Not a problem for two of the most legendary shinobi of Konoha, but one of the missing-nin had gotten lucky, and had managed to scratch Gai with the tip of a dagger. And voilà, five hours later, the fierce and youthful Green Beast of Konoha was stuck in a hospital bed, with a big stomach cramp.

At least their mission had been accomplished.

Sakura was bent over a microscope, inspecting the blood for the traces of poison. Frowning, she quickly scribbled something down. _If this is what I think it is..._

With a determined face, she got up to pick a heavy book from the bookshelf behind her. Blowing the tiny layer of dust away, she started flipping through the pages, and found confirmation of her suspicions. _I knew it! This isn't poison!_

"Hey! Don't ignore me!" Genma still stood in front of her desk, with a determined face.

With a small frown she closed the book and sighed. _How could this happen again?_ Shaking her head, she opened the door of her office.

"Kakashi?"

The slouching jonin slowly looked up from his favourite book, using a finger as his bookmark.

"Hn?"

"Are you sure he was poisoned during the attack?"

Kakashi managed to make even that simple nod look lazy.

"It must have been then."

Grinding her teeth over each other, she said, "Then why am I sure it's food poisoning?"

He sweat-dropped. _Oh oh..._

An uncertain smile crept on his face. "Again...?"

_Oh Kami... Not again Kakashi!_

"You let him eat the damn berries again, didn't you?"

Like a small child being caught with his hand in the cookie jar, Kakashi shrank a little with her sharp tone.

"Uhh... no?"

She almost face-palmed. Her growing displeasure must have shown on her face, because Kakashi's eyes widened a little in his normally placid face. _Time to leave..._

Before Sakura could stop him, the man made his escape, leaving nothing but a cloud of smoke behind.

A low growl sounded from her throat. _That man..._

Genma quickly jumped from her path as she stalked back into her office, the heavy door slamming closed behind her.

She stomped towards her desk, slammed a drawer open and started going through it. Almost immediately she pulled back, grimacing at a paper cut. She might be a skilled kunoichi, but nobody liked paper cuts. Quickly healing the minuscule cut and frowning at nothing in particular, she continued her search for a piece of paper and a pen.

_This is ridiculous, why can't I find a piece of paper in a desk?_

"..."

"What ...are you doing?"

Hesitant and wary - he knew very well how Sakura could be when she was angry, having experienced it first hand- he walked a little closer.

"Pfffff..." With a tired sigh she gave up and sank back into her chair.

"A few weeks ago, Gai arrived at my door, sick, because of some berries he found next to the road."

An amused smile crept onto Genma's face. That sounded just like his old teammate. He could almost hear Gai's enthusiasm.

"I keep telling him not to eat strange things, but he doesn't listen!"

The umpteenth sigh of the day escaped her lips.

"He's a shinobi! A_ jonin_! He should know better."

With a chuckle, Genma sat on the edge of the desk.

"Sakura?"

"Hn?"

"You _need_ to take a break."

Her eyebrow raised and her mouth tensed, reluctantly hearing him out.

"I guess..."

"And preferably... a good night out. How does that sound, huh?"

A small smile crept on her face as she opened another drawer of her desk and now that she was calm, immediately found what she was looking for. With quick but precise handwriting, she wrote something down on the piece of paper.

"Al right. You give this to the nurses in the hospital. They'll know what to give Gai. I'll wrap up here... and then we'll go."

"Deal!"

* * *

She had needed this. A nice carefree night out with friends. _And lots and lots of booze. S_he added, grinning mentally.

_Oh Kami, Tsunade must be rubbing off on me... People do mention that a lot._

They had stopped by her small but comfortable flat so she could change out of her lab coat. But since it was still quite early, they hung out a little.

Sakura had her eyes closed and was soaking in the last rays of summer sunshine on her balcony. Her feet rested on top of the wooden balustrade.

The city was quiet, as if a huge blanket had been laid over it. A small smile formed on her lips. _This is heaven._

Genma was in the kitchen, looking for drinks in the small fridge next to the sink. She barely ate at home, so it wasn't very full.

The floor boards slightly creaked under his bare feet, as he walked outside.

"See? It's nice to be outside, huh? Fresh air, sun, cold beverages..." he said, as he placed an ice-cold beer in her open hand.

"Fine." A reluctant noise came from Sakura. "Maybe you were right."

A triumphant laugh escaped his lips.

She opened her eyes, just a crack, to show a small glare. But it was quickly melted away by the sun.

They chatted and drank. After lighting up his third cigarette, it was pitch black.

* * *

"Are you ready?"

She nodded while shrugging a simple jacket on.

"Let's go!" They grinned at each other.

Sakura swiped her small bag off the coffee table and ushered Genma out, locking the door behind her.

* * *

It was a comfortable bar. It was the bar where most Konoha shinobi could be found. Not to loud and not to quiet. Just perfect really.

Genma sauntered in, and as the fine gentleman he was, held the door for Sakura.

With a snort she passed him, showing how little she believed his little act.

Chuckling, they made their way to a table in the back.

It was quite early, but already it was filled with people. Mostly shinobi, but some civilians too.

Quickly, a waiter appeared at the table. "The usual?"

With a glance at Sakura, Genma said, "Something... a little bit stronger, please."

"Of course, Shiranui-san." With a small bow the waiter left.

"Something stronger...?"

He leaned over the table, and in a conspiring tone told her, " I'm planning on getting you incredibly drunk tonight."

She snorted. "I doubt that will happen. Somebody will need to bring us home tonight, and since you have a low alcohol-tolerance..."

"Hah! Just watch me! This time I'll keep up!"

* * *

_I've missed this... Maybe I do work too much..._

Genma was in the middle of telling her a story and she was actually enjoying herself. _Not bad Shiranui Genma, not bad..._

She looked at him and just smiled.

He faltered in his story-telling. "What...?"

"Nothing." Her smile grew.

He grinned back at her.

_He knows me so well._

"Uh... Am I interrupting something?"

With a start she looked to her right, where Kakashi awkwardly stood, scratching his head stiffly.

"Of course not!" She smiled at him, already forgiving him for disappearing on her earlier, and motioned him to sit down. Over his head, Sakura sent Genma a warning glare.

He just grinned back.

_Oh boy..._

* * *

She didn't see Kakashi often. Their team 7 occasionally grouped together for a high-ranking mission, but everybody had their own responsibilities now. So she was more than happy to catch up with him.

She just hoped he wouldn't find out about her and Genma_ again_. It would bring up a whole lot of questions and difficulties that she'd rather keep buried.

_We are_ not _in a relationship. Not really... So stop being so nervous._

The rest of the night was spent enjoying herself and talking to her friends, and, unfortunately, getting a little bit inebriated.

* * *

"Fine. You can crash at my place."

"Like old times, huh?"

"Genma, sweetie?" she said with the most patient voice she could summon.

"Yeah?" He said, while taking another swig of an unknown, and probably far too strong substance.

"Shut up!" She sent him a warning glare, but he didn't notice.

_He must have drunk more than I thought..._

Rolling her eyes she stood up.

"Do you need any help?"

She shook her head. "Thanks, Kakashi, but it'll be fine."

Genma was trying to swat her hand away again. With a sigh she skillfully plucked the cigarette from between his fingers and put it in between her lips. _He's going to hurt himself like this...at least the senbon is gone. _She thought with a smile.

Holding him up with one arm, she paid the waiter.

"Alright, come on, sweetie. Don't make this to difficult for me."

"Where are we going...? I like it here..."

"Yeah, I can see..." An amused Sakura just smiled at him. _He's adorable when he's drunk..._

She waved at Kakashi, and when she passed their table, exchanged a few words with Shikamaru and Choji.

She then started dragging Genma towards the front door.

"You're staying on the couch though."

"But-"

"No but's!" she quickly interrupted.

"Aww... but that's no fun."

She just shook her head and laughed, slightly louder than she normally would. _Don't ever change, Genma._

Stepping into the fresh air, she inhaled the smoke one more time. Then she flicked the cigarette into an ashtray, and made her way home, with her unusual luggage.

* * *

"That was... odd, no?"

Shikamaru was looking at the closed door. Through the window he could still see Sakura's signature pink hair, but it was dark and he couldn't make out anything beyond that.

"What do you mean, Shikamaru?" Ino plopped down on the empty chair on his right, before setting down the drinks she just bought.

Choji scratched his head.

"I dunno, Shikamaru... You're probably overanalysing this."

"Yeah, maybe... But the fact that you thought of the same thing might mean something."

Ino, getting slightly ticked off by being left out of the conversation, opened her mouth, "Helloooo? What's going on?!"

Shikamaru just shook his head. "It's nothing, Ino."

_They probably_ aren't _a couple...  
_

* * *

**Thanks for reading! Constructive criticism is much needed, so please review!**

**Akamaruuuu out!**

* * *

****Next up: ****_Chapter 2 - The Boxer Shorts_


	2. The Boxer Shorts

**As The Falcon Flies By**

**Chapter 2 - The Boxer Shorts**

**Enjoy!**

**Uo･ｪ･oU**

* * *

The room was dark. And spinning. _Is it supposed to spin?_

Slowly, she blinked her eyes and rubbed them, trying to get rid of the blur. _Nope, definitely _not_ supposed to spin..._

Her head was pounding as if it was being split into two. Her lips cracked as she yawned and her throat felt as dry as sandpaper, demanding moisture, and this time _not_ alcohol, thank you!

_Horrible, just horrible. _she thought. _We_ _got wasted again, didn't we?_

She felt his strong arm slung loosely around her waist. His breaths were deep and his chest expanded when he inhaled, touching her back. With a shaking hand, she reduced the pounding. It lessened, but even she couldn't cure a hangover as nasty as this one. _How much did we drink? Apparently enough._ She thought as she looked at Genma's sleeping -shirtless- form.

Sakura slowly sat up, Genma's hand sliding of her. He just kept on snoring slightly. Usually he woke up earlier than her and raided Sakura's kitchen to make them a decent breakfast, but he must have really drunk to much.

She realized she wasn't wearing much, as a cold chill settled over her. Rubbing her hands against her bare arms, she looked down. With an amused look she saw she was only wearing a bra, and a pair of Genma's boxer shorts. She resisted the urge to look under the covers to check if he was wearing her underwear too.

He did often sleep over, she had to admit, so he had his own drawer of clothes in her dresser. Quickly, she pulled the nearest shirt over herself and made her way to the kitchen.

_Kami, this headache..._

Her eyes squinted at the little light that filtered through the closed curtains, thanking herself for even thinking about closing them the evening before.

She took two headache tablets from an overhead cupboard, downing them with unusual fervour and enough water to rehydrate a giant, and went to brush her teeth.

Fearing what she would see, she looked in the mirror.

A chaotic sight stared back.

Ever so slowly, she brushed the tangled mess on top of her head.

After the hundredth time trying to make her hair smooth, she gave up and put it in a messy bun.

_That'll do._

_Gah! I still need a shower..._

Just then, a knock came from the door, causing a groan to escape her lips. _Not now. Please just not know._ More knocking. _Go away. GO AWAY._

This was bad. Really bad. The person behind that door would have to deal with a very grouchy Sakura.

She made her way off the cold bathroom tiles and in to the dark living room. While she walked, she tried to relieve more of the pressure her brain seemed to be under with medical chakra.

_How pitiful, I feel like I'm a hundred years older..._

Slowly, she opened the door, her eyes shutting when the harsh light bore into her vision.

"This better be a fucking emergency, or I'll make you pay." She hissed. When her eyes adjusted, she saw a wide-eyed Hinata with a shocked look on her face. Her hand was still balled up, ready to knock once again.

_Oops... That was maybe a little too harsh._

Opening her eyes a little more, she saw a just as startled Kiba behind her.

Grumbling, she opened the door a little more.

"Please please just come in quickly. The light is giving me hell."

The two visitors cautiously stepped in.

Closing the door behind her with the softest click possible, she turned towards her two visitors, not caring enough to hide her annoyance.

"Well, what is it?"

"Uh... Are you alright, Sakura - chan?" Hinata asked politely.

An uncomfortable moment passed.

"...why?"

"Well, you _really_ do look like hell."

_Not so polite._

"Kiba! You can't say that!" Hinata turned a little bit red with embarrassment.

_Never mind my appearance... Just look at this place. What must they think of me?_

She hadn't noticed before but her apartment was a garbage heap. _Literally._

With a groan she saw an unhealthy amount of empty bottles, and the smell of cigarettes was still very distinct.

Walking past the two intruders, she opened up the big window that doubled as a door to her balcony. She was careful to keep her eyes shut until the curtains had been closed again. The soft breeze pushed the curtains against her. It felt like it would be another hot day.

Turning back to the two she asked: "Do you have a reason for being here or is it just to annoy me?"

"We're very sorry but-" Hinata began.

"Are you wearing boxers?" Kiba interrupted.

_..._

_Shit, I forgot about that._

"Yeah, so what?" She snapped.

"Kiba, I don't think-" Hinata tried to intervene.

"And those are _men's_ boxer shorts?"

"Yup." _Play it cool, Sakura._

"Soooo... Who's the lucky guy?"

"You really shouldn't d-" Hinata feebly tried to stop him.

"Who said anything about a guy?" she replied hotly.

He snorted. "Your apartment is littered with cigarettes and bottles, you are wearing men's boxers and-" He squinted a little. "...and a man's shirt!" An excited grin formed on his face.

"That means he's still here, right?!"

_If Kiba really was a dog_ Sakura mused _his tail would be wagging right now._

"Kiba!" Hinata squealed. "Don't be so impolite!"

"Oh, but just look at her, Hinata. You are just as curious as me to the identity of this guy. Admit it!"

"Even so, we mustn't be impolite." She said sternly.

Sakura childishly stuck her tongue out at him, which he just as childishly returned.

_Oh Kami..._ Hinata rolled her eyes.

"Anyway, why are you here?"

"Ah, yes!" Hinata shook her head, as if to clear it of all the silliness of that morning.

"We happened to stop by the Hokage earlier for a mission report and she asked us to give you this."

From a pocket on her jonin jacket she retrieved a small scroll and handed it to her.

When she saw it, Sakura knew exactly what it was.

She just held the small thing and thanked the two shinobi.

"Aren't you going to open it?"

"The Hokage asked us to make sure you read it." Hinata added.

With a sigh she broke the seal, shoulders slumping just a little bit more.

_You know me so well, shisou... I would have just done as if I had forgotten to read it. Then I would have had a fun day, but nooooo... I get to spend the day in a stuffy room with stubborn people at least thrice my age._

And her suspicions were correct.

_'Honorary Haruno Sakura,_

_We, the Council of Konaha, have summoned you for the monthly meeting... blah blah... highest members of society... something about the wellbeing of the city... Yada yada yada... We expect you to be present at 1 pm in the Council halls.'_

It was just a whole lot of fancy words for 'Listen to the annoying elders complain about something the Hokage did' or whatever.

When she had accepted this job, she had accepted a little desk work too, but _not_ the monthly blabbering of the clan heads and the elders.

At least Tsunade was on the same page as her. If anything, she hated the meetings even more than her.

Sakura's mouth turned a little down.

"Pfffff... "

"Not good news?" Kiba inquired.

"Not good news." She confirmed.

"Do you guys know what time it is?"

Grabbing a piece of paper, she quickly scribbled something down for Genma, so he would know where she was.

"Uhh... It's quarter to one, exactly."

Hinata's words startled her. "Ack!"

_Katon jutsu._

A small ball of fire burned the scroll, leaving no evidence of its existence, except for the smell of burned paper.

Couldn't let anyone read her scrolls. It was a rule she intended to keep.

"Okidoki! Thanks for coming but I'm incredibly late so..." She started pushing the teammates through her front door.

"Hey! Wait! I still want to know who that guy is!"

"Don't you dare sniff me, Kiba!"

"Sniff you? Whatever are you talking about?" His eyes were as innocent as a puppy. _Again with the dog metaphor..._

"You were trying to smell who he is! Just admit it." She replied.

"Al right, I admit." He sheepishly scratched his head.

Sakura had managed to push him out of her apartment. No need to push Hinata of course. She looked like she wanted to drag Kiba out herself.

"If it wasn't for the cigarette smell, I would have known, you know!" He said it as if he was protecting his manliness.

"Yeah, yeah." Sakura breathed in sharply. _The time!_

"Thanks for bringing the scroll guys, but I really need to get ready."

With a wave she closed the door again and rushed to the bedroom. She grabbed some real clothes, a jonin uniform, and softly closed the door behind her, as not to disturb Genma's sleep.

She then sprinted into the bathroom and showered at top speed.

It would not do to arrive later than everybody else.

* * *

**Uo･ｪ･oU**

**What do you think so far? I would love to hear your comments! :)**

**Akamaruuuu out!**

* * *

**Next up: **_Chapter 3 - Coffee and a Meeting_


	3. Coffee and a Meeting

**As The Falcon Flies By**

**Chapter 3 - Coffee and a Meeting**

**I do not own Naruto!**

**I'm sorry this took so long! I had a lot of homework to do... or was it a lot of procrastination? Anyway :), there's one thing I want to address:**

**I'm not caught up with the series, but I do know a general outline of what will happen. I read some spoilers (like an idiot) so I know about some character deaths. I'm still in permanent denial, so if this fanfiction contains people who really should be dead... to bad! I'm staying in my perfect little world. :D**

**Also, a giant THANK YOU! to all those lovely people who favourited, reviewed or followed me! Yay to you!**

**It really means a lot, guys!**

**V●ᴥ●V**

* * *

She was dressed in her jonin uniform.

Her hair was still damp from the shower and it whipped behind her as she ran.

The fastest way was over the rooftops and that's exactly the way she intended to take.

She slowed when she saw the entrance to the Hokage's building.

Making sure her long sleeves covered her arms well, she entered.

* * *

_The chairs are so uncomfortable. I wonder if they did that on purpose, so you can't fall asleep._

She shifted uncomfortably in her seat.

It didn't look like it would be a long meeting after all. Not many new things had occurred since last month, but you never knew though. Meetings could last very long, since the elders never agreed on much. It was amusing to watch them bicker and make passive-aggressive snide remarks at the rest. _As long as it's not directed at me, I'm fine with it._

Stretching her back discreetly, she leaned back in her chair.

_At least there's coffee._ She thought happily, as she took a sip from her cup. She looked around at the other present people. They were sitting at a big, expensive, solid oak wood table.

At the head of course, Tsunade sat, a stack of papers in front of her. She didn't look to happy to be here, but it had to be done.

Across from her sat Shikaku Nara, looking as bored as ever. His hand was laid over his own bundle of papers. She could almost imagine him mumbling 'How troublesome...', a trait his son had adopted at a very young age.

Next were the two elders.

_Ah...the enemy._

Troublesome but competent. That was a good way to describe them.

_I mean, they_ are _shinobi of the highest order but... They're just so annoying! Sure they're experienced and wise, but they're also so condescending... Even to Tsunade._

They were sitting to the left of the Hokage, across from Sakura, looking stern and proud.

To Sakura's left, Kakashi sat. He looked equally as bored as Shikaku. _At least he hasn't retrieved his books from his pocket. Yet._

"How are the constructions for the extra wing of the hospital coming along?" Tsunade was looking at her.

"Nicely," she calmly replied, the cup of coffee still hovering under her lips.

"It will be finished in two, maybe three weeks at the most."

Tsunade nodded and asked a few more questions about her work at the hospital.

Most people knew her as the head of the hospital and as one of the Sixth Hokage's most trusted advisors. She had other, even more important jobs but it was best to keep those covered up.

The last few months they had been expanding the hospital. An extra wing, specifically for shinobi. If a war or a big battle were to happen, this way it would be more organized.

They had also added a research lab. Specifically for poisons. At the moment, Sakura was one of the most renowned poison specialists the shinobi world had ever seen. And that said a lot, if you took Tsunade, Sasori and Lady Chiyo in account.

She had made sure that a large garden grew in her hospital. Medical herbs grew there in abundance. She had even imported several plants from different countries, creating an artificial climate, so they grew well.

She was quite proud of it.

* * *

As the meeting dragged on, the sun sank lower and lower. What at first had been a brightly lit room, was becoming filled with creeping shadows.

Tsunade put a piece of paper down on the right stack. It was growing bigger and bigger, as the left stack shrunk. Picking up a new paper, she moved on to the next subject.

"There is some news about the Akatsuki."

The statement caused a moment of nervous silence. Everybody knew that the notorious organizations was collecting tailed chakra monsters. The question was: when would they come for Naruto?

"Apparently there is some dissension among the members."

Expectant faces gazed at her.

"You should all have a copy of a more detailed mission report, but this is it in short." She cleared her throat.

"Jiraiya happened to witness a fight between Akatsuki in the Land of Lightning. It was between Itachi Uchiha and Kisame Hoshigaki. The reason was unclear. They fought full-out, not holding back. It seemed like they were both out on stopping the other. Kisame lost and was left unconscious, bleeding heavily."

Sakura inwardly frowned a little. She hadn't known about this.

"Has his death been confirmed?"

"No, when Jiraiya left the sight, Kisame was still breathing."

"Why didn't he engage then? Surely, he easily could have killed Kisame Hoshigaki if he was unconscious?" Koharu Utatane looked at Tsunade, her long earrings swinging lightly with the movement.

Tsunade shook her head. "Jiraiya was merely keeping tabs on what the Akatsuki were up to, and just happened to stumble on the fight. I had ordered him not to engage unless it was truly necessary. He saw Itachi leave, but soon after, three other members arrived. You must agree that that's to much for anyone to take on alone."

"What happened to Itachi?" Shikaku spoke up.

"He vanished. When Jiraiya realized it was to dangerous to stay much longer, he ran to a safer distance and waited to see what happened. The Akatsuki didn't pursue Itachi. They just disappeared into clouds of smoke, taking Kisame with them. Most-likely they were just clones, or it was some kind of teleportation jutsu. He then followed Itachi's trail, but it abruptly ended after a few hundred meters. Like I said, he vanished."

"Five Akatsuki in one place? That's almost unheard of... Have you contacted the Raikage?"

Tsunade replied to Sakura.

"Yes, I am still awaiting answer."

She nodded. Thoughts whirling in her head.

"So, they probably captured or tried to capture Killer Bee then."

A moment of tense silence passed after Sakura's statement.

Kakashi broke the silence by clearing his throat.

"If Killer Bee has been taken, then..."

He left the last part unspoken, but everybody knew what he meant.

_Then they'll come after Naruto. He has the last bijuu in him._

"We cannot afford to lose Uzumaki Naruto." Homura said this, while pushing his glasses up a little on his nose.

_No, we really can't. But I think we have different reasons. Konoha can't lose him because they'll lose an important weapon. I can't lose him because he's one of my most important people. _Sakura thought sadly. She would not survive his death.

"Are they even able to do the extraction now that Itachi has left them?" Shikaku asked nobody in particular.

Sighing, the Sixth Hokage nodded.

"Yes, unfortunately. It'll probably just last a little longer. Besides, we're not certain the Uchiha actually left... They might just have had a falling-out."

Sakura was frowning openly now.

"A falling-out? Itachi does not seem to do _anything_ rash, let alone loose his temper and have a fight because of that."

"We'll just have to wait for more information on the matter."

* * *

A few more smaller matters had to be discussed but they finally finished. _Wow, the sun is still up! Kind of..._ Sakura thought happily, as she looked out of the big windows behind the elders. The sun was slowly sinking under the horizon, creating beautiful colours in the sky.

They two oldest council members were slowly getting up. So were Shikaku and Kakashi.

However, Sakura knew that it wasn't over for her. With a glance at her shisou, she saw that the blond woman new that as well. With a gloomy expression, Tsunade looked at the stack of papers that still remained.

Smiling empathically, Sakura said: "Why don't we take a little break, huh?"

Tsunade sent her a grateful smile back. "Kami, what would I do without you!"

While the others left, Sakura got up and stretched fully, making her back and neck pop.

Turning around, she made her way over to the small coffee-machine in the corner of the large room.

"Remind me to change the chairs here."

A bubble of laughter escaped her lips at the words of her old sensei.

"Kami! I thought I was the only one! Maybe we can give them to Ibiki. Let him use them as torture devices." She could here Tsunade laugh, as her cup filled with much-needed caffeine. At least she wasn't feeling her hangover much anymore. _Poor Genma... I'll heal him if it's still bothering him later._ She mused.

"Sakura?"

"Hn?"

She had noticed that Kakashi had stayed behind a little longer than the rest, but had chosen not to mention it. She knew what he wanted to talk about.

"Can we talk for a minute?"

_Oh boy..._

"Sure." She said it nonchalantly, as she followed him into the empty hallway.

Taking a small sip, she looked up at him, expectingly.

He looked a little uncomfortable, which was _very_ unusual for Kakashi. He just scratched his head and looked down at her.

"Well? Spit it out!"

Sighing, he dropped his hand to his side and stuffed them into his pockets.

"The other night, you seemed to be together again. With Genma, I mean."

_Bingo._

"We're not."

"You took him _home_, Sakura."

"It's not a serious relationship."

"That's why I'm worried."

"Kakashi, you know we're good friends. Genma would never do anything to hurt me."

He slowly deflated a bit.

"I know. Sometimes I'm just worried about you, y'know?"

His eye creased and Sakura knew he was smiling under his mask.

"I know, I know... " She smiled at him.

"Well, I'll let you get to it then!" He said, as he ruffled her hair affectionately.

Before she could deliver him a chakra laced punch, he quickly made his escape, winking at her.

_Gah! The insolence!_ She thought, her anger already fleeting. As she walked back inside, she quickly put her hair into a bun. Relieved that the short conversation had gone so well, she resumed her coffee.

Tsunade proposed moving to her office, her supposed reason being the more comfortable chairs. Sakura wasn't fooled though. She knew her shisou just wanted to be near her not-so-secret-stash of saké.

They worked another hour, going over finances, before Sakura made the Hokage retire to her bedroom.

_Why am I always baby-sitting drunk people? _Shaking her head, she closed the door.

Afterwards, she tiredly plopped on the couch in the Hokage's office, to sleepy to go back to her apartment, and promptly fell asleep.

* * *

**V●ᴥ●V**

**This was more of a filler chapter but I hope you still enjoyed it. Reviews with constructive ****criticism are greatly appreciated. ^-^**

**Akamaruuuu out!**

* * *

**Next up: **_Chapter 4 - The Calm_


	4. The Calm

**As The Falcon Flies By**

**Chapter 4 - The Calm**

**Sorry this took so long, but I had a lot to do and this ****chapter certainly didn't write itself. :) Anyway, enjoy!**

**U￣I￣U**

* * *

Shinobi are trained that they should be constantly aware of their environment. Even when they are sleeping, they have to be ready to jump in to a battle immediately.

So when a slight rustle reached Sakura's ears, she instinctively woke.

"It's fine Sakura. I'm just fetching something here. You can keep on sleeping."

Relaxing when she recognized Shizune's voice, she turned around on the soft cushions.

_What a bother. Those shinobi "skills" aren't helping me now, are they?_

She shut her eyes before any light could glare at her.

When she stirred again, Shizune said:

"Stay asleep, Sakura. Genma complained to me about how you work to much."

_..._

_Dammit, Genma..._

With a sigh she slowly drifted back asleep, not making a fuss.

_I_ don't _work to much._

* * *

"Have you seen her? We were supposed to go eat ramen together but she didn't show up."

A sulking Naruto was standing in Kakashi's doorway, blocking his escape from the interrogation.

"Do you know where she could be? What if something happened?! She would never just leave me like that! Maybe she's been kidn-"

Sighing, Kakashi put a hand on Naruto's shoulder, making his waterfall of words stop.

In calm and clear words, he diffused the Naruto-bomb.

"She had a late meeting with the Hokage yesterday. She was probably just tired this morning and forgot. Sakura _hasn't _been kidnapped, Naruto." His amused smile was hidden by his mask.

The number one knucklehead ninja broke into a big smile.

_Of course she hasn't been kidnapped. And if she had been, I'd bring her back!_

Sensing his work was done, Kakashi waved him out of the door and said: "She's probably still at the Hokage's building."

With a thank-you-grin, Naruto enthusiastically leaped from Kakashi's doorway, barely knocking over a civilian.

"Oops! I'm sorry! He waved over his shoulder as he ran off to find Sakura, leaving a disgruntled man behind.

The man's frown quickly disappeared though, since nobody could stay upset for long on such a sunny day.

* * *

_Aren't I supposed to do something?_

Her head was pressed in the crease of the sofa, blocking the rest of world out. Someone had laid a heavy blanket over her- Shizune, she presumed- and she had woken warmly.

Still in her cocoon, she did as if she was still sound asleep, ignoring the occasional noises. A small hour had passed since she woke up the first time, and the Hokage's building was becoming busier.

_What was it?!_

Her brow creased a little with frustration, as she couldn't remember what she was supposed to do.

_It's not the hospital. The construction works are going fine. And it can't be ANBU, Genma was going to take care of that today._

A sigh escaped her lips._ I have a day off with no duties. Get used to it, Sakura._

Her cocoon of warmth felt a little too warm now. The summer heat was making her drowsy again.

_Mayb__e it's time to get up... _She thought, as she yawned uncontrollably.

Some words drifting from behind the heavy door made her freeze, though.

"But O bāchan-" She could clearly hear Naruto whining behind that wall and Tsunade telling him to be quiet.

_Oh, Kami. Naruto!_

In a flash she was out of her warm nest and opening the wooden door.

In front of her stood a surprised Naruto who was mid-sentence and a not-so-surprised Tsunade behind him.

"There you are!" His expression was quickly turning to a big grin. "We were supposed to go to Ichiraku's, remember?"

_Oops._

She had _totally_ forgotten.

She sheepishly scratched her head. "I forgot..."

Tsunade snorted as she pushed passed Naruto and Sakura.

"Yeah, we can see!"

Blushing slightly she adjusted her messy hair and her clearly slept-in clothing.

"I'm sorry, Naruto. I... fell asleep..."

Waving her apology away, he grabbed her arm and started pulling her away.

"Oh, Sakura!" Tsunade called out to her. "I want to go over a mission with you later. Can you come this evening?"

Nodding at the Hokage, she acknowledged the order. Then she closed the door and let herself be dragged away by the enthusiastic blond.

"C'mon! I'm starving, you know!"

And so the two friends ended up eating in that same ramen bar they had eaten in for years.

* * *

They had caught up and eaten, after which Naruto went to go train. Since he had come back from his trip with Jiraiya, he had trained to rise in ranks. He was chuunin now, and soon he would be a jonin.

Sakura often helped him train, but today he told her she should have a real day off, since Kakashi was going to help him.

"Would you look at that! You aren't working. Are you ok? Are you sick?!"

_Groan._

"Genma... Don't be annoying!"

He chuckled as he came closer. "You know I can't help it."

She was sitting on the terrace of a small café. It was surprisingly quiet for such a sunny day, since a lot of people had to work.

Sakura was enjoying the warmth of the sun. Her hair was pulled back in a lose braid and her bare feet rested on the cool stone floor. After eating with Naruto, she had quickly dressed into some comfortable clothes: A pair of shorts and a loose, long-sleeved T-shirt. It was warm, but she wanted to keep her arms covered. _If they see my arms, it'll just invite a whole bunch of questions I don't want to answer._

She put down the book she was reading in and looked at the man who plopped down across from her.

Raising an eyebrow she said: "Shirking, I see."

He just scoffed. " I did the work!"

"All of it?"

"Yup. There wasn't much, really. Just the usual."

She nodded her thanks.

"Thank god I have you. I can't imagine all the stress I would have otherwise."

He grinned even bigger now. "Ah, so you _need_ me. Well, well..."

She just rolled her eyes at him.

He really _was_ a good lieutenant and they worked so well together. She knew she couldn't wish for anyone better.

He waved his hand at the waitress and asked for the same as Sakura. Which turned out to be a lemonade.

"Watcha readin'?" He asked as he picked up the heavy book she had left on the table and opened it on a random page.

_Thoracic vertebrae in all mammalian species are defined as those vertebrae that also carry a pair of ribs, and lie caudal to the cervical vertebrae. Further caudally follow thelumbar- _He paused as he turned it over to look at the title of the book.

"_The Complete History of the Medicals: Volume I_." He read out loud, while shaking his head slightly, as if in dissaproval.

"A romantic novel, I see." He joked.

A bubble of laughter escaped her lips. "I am a medicin-nin. That stuff interests me. What do you expect?"

He gave her the heavy textbook and leaned back, his pose relaxed. He removed the senbon from his mouth and started twirling it lazily between his fingers.

"You know we have a mission briefing later, right?"

"Yeah, Tsunade told me. I wonder..." She drifted off.

"You wonder what?" He said softly.

She frowned a little. "It's just... what with everything going on, it seems weird that we'd be sent on a mission."

"You mean the hospital?"

"Yeah, the constructions, the ANBU, the Akatsuki... It must be really important if she's sending us both, right?"

She raised her glass to her lips, and drank from the straw.

"What _is_ up with the Akatsuki, anyway? I heard some rumors, but..." Genma trailed off, waiting for her to explain.

She leaned a little closer so she didn't have to speak to loudly.

_Don't want everybody to find out important information, right?_

"Itachi Uchiha left them."

Genma was silent for a moment.

"That's- That sure is something..." He eventually said.

"Yeah, Jiraiya saw him fight with Kisame. He won and then he left. Practically disappeared."

"But that means..." He said, while he leaned forward towards her.

She nodded, she had thought of the same thing.

"It means we have absolutely no idea what is going to happen. We don't know where he is, what his motives were or even if it was just a bloody act!" She whispered loudly.

She continued, speaking a little bit softer.

"It's a mess. A _big_ mess. He isn't restricted by being with The Akatsuki anymore and we don't know what his agenda is. _And_ we can't keep tabs on him..."

Sighing, Sakura shook her head. Their drinks stood forgotten in between them, as they both tried to figure out Itachi's reasoning.

"The only reason he joined them was because it would mean more power, right?"

Sakura nodded. "Apart from the fact that he wouldn't be accepted anywhere else after the massacre, yeah."

"So... Why leave? Those he think he can't gain any power anymore with the Akatsuki, or does he have a different goal..."

He sighed. "It _is_ a mess. What a bother."

The man looked at his abandoned glass of lemonade, as if to contemplate drinking it or not. He asked her, without looking up: "And you said he fought Hoshigaki?"

She nodded. "Left him half dead."

"So, they didn't let him leave voluntarily, I guess."

"We'll see. Maybe this mission has to do with the Akatsuki."

He nodded and relaxed a little. Genma, being Genma, cracked a joke, and the tension dissapeared as quickly as it had arrived.

They chatted for a long time, as Sakura's book lay forgotten and the sun slowly descended, their meeting with the Hokage nearing.

* * *

****U￣I￣U****

**Hope you liked it! If you have any comments with constructive criticism, I'd love to hear them.**

**Akamaruuuu out!**

* * *

**Next up: **_Chapter 5 - Before The Storm_


	5. Before The Storm

**As The Falcon Flies By**

**Chapter 5 - Before The Storm**

**Enjoy!**

**੯ੁૂ‧̀͡u**

* * *

"Come on! We're gonna be late!" Sakura stood with her hands on her hips, impatiently tapping her right foot.

They had been walking towards the Hokage's building, when Genma suddenly had the urge to go to the park.

Looking her in the eyes, he silently conveyed that she should sit down next to him on the wooden bench.

When she didn't budge, he said more bluntly: "We have more than enough time. Sit down."

Rolling her eyes at his command, she gave up and sat down, grumbling something about being punctual.

Now that she was seated, she finally looked where they were exactly.

_It is quite beautiful here._

She leaned back and took in the sight. It was late summer, so most trees didn't have flowers anymore. The few that remained were strewn around on the grass floor.

Instead of flowers, the trees were full of green.

From where they were sitting, they could see almost the entirety.

It wasn't a very big park and there weren't many people. _It_ is _getting late. _She thought with annoyance. _Most people are having dinner, since it's evening. You know, evening. That time we were supposed to go to the Hokage?_

Looking at the sun slowly being swallowed by the ground, she thought: _Bugger it... It's too nice here._

"What...?" She said in the silence.

Genma looked down at the pink-haired kunoichi, who was looking at him with big expectant verdant eyes.

"What what?"

"Oh, don't do that..." She said as she settled against him.

With a small smile he slung a hand over her shoulder.

Her back moved a little when she talked again.

"What are we doing here?" She softly said.

Pulling her a bit closer, he said: "I don't know about you, but I'm enjoying the view while it lasts." He said, glancing at her before resuming his absent-mindedly staring at the sunset.

She nodded. _Yeah. Who knows where we'll end up._

They sat in a comfortable silence. The kind of silence you have with somebody you trust completely. There is no need to fill it up with mindless chatter.

It was the best kind.

"Sakura?"

"Hn?"

"Be careful during the mission, ok?"

"Of course."

And silence reigned again.

Before they could fall asleep on that wooden bench, they got up and left the park, his arm still loosely slung over her shoulder.

* * *

"You think she's going to be upset?"

They were standing in front of the large wooden doors and the place was almost deserted, making it feel much later than it really was.

"Kami, I hope not. Well, only one way to find out, huh?" As she said that, Sakura knocked on the large vertical wooden slab. A few moments passed, and then they heard a clear "Come in." from the other side.

_Here we go..._ She thought, as she turned the metal door handle and pushed inside.

As they walked in, Sakura immediately spotted four familiar shinobi and one dog, sitting on the couch she had not so long ago slept in.

"Now that you're here we can begin." Tsunade was sitting in her usual place behind the large oak desk.

Genma walked by Sakura and winked, as if to say: _Told ya she wouldn't be mad._

She narrowed her eyes at him. _He looks far to smug._

He just chuckled and shook his head, twirling the senbon between his teeth.

Before she could give him a good knock on his head, they were interrupted by the Hokage.

"Are you two children almost done?!"

Straightening immediately, they looked at the blonde in front of them.

"Honestly," she added, "I don't know how you two put up with each other."

Genma sheepily scratched his head, and this time it was Sakura's turn to chuckle.

"Anyway, as you can see, the team is a bit bigger than you might have anticipated..."

With mild curiosity Sakura looked at her teammates. On the left sat Yamato, dressed in his ANBU outfit. He nodded towards her. Half in acknowledgment, because he used to be her team leader and half in respect, because she was his superior now. Which she, of course, returned, causing him to smile a little.

On his right sat Shikamaru. He looked less bored than usual, but he was still so similar to his father. _Way too intelligent and lazy._ She thought with a small smile.

A few months ago, Sakura had invited him to join the ANBU. He definitely had all the skills: in a fight, as well as out of a fight. But he had declined. Just because it would be 'too troublesome'. She remembered rolling her eyes when he said those words.

Further down the line sat Neji. His posture was impeccable, and his face as always composed. The Hyuuga prodigy, as polite, if not more than Hinata.

Their relationship had become a bit more relaxed over the years, and they were sometimes paired up for missions. She smiled, which he returned with a small bow of the head. It was good to see him again. They both had busy lives and it was difficult to meet with him sometimes. She was an ANBU, and he had to help govern the Hyuuga clan as Hinata's advisor.

Sakura turned towards the last person.

_Oh boy... Just look at him._

Kiba grinned at her, revealing his sharp canine-like tooth. She grinned back. Akamaru ran up to her, nuzzling his head against her arm, asking for attention. She rubbed his neck affectionately, ruffling his fur. He shot a bark at her, to show his appreciation.

Akamaru liked her. Sakura didn't get a lot of mission-time with the duo, but the were good friends anyway. Kiba was surprisingly easy to chat with, as long as he didn't bring up the subject of Sakura's love life. _And any dog can be won over with cuddles and snacks..._ She thought, scratching behind Akamaru's ear.

She looked at Tsunade and nodded slightly, silently showing she approved of the team.

"So what _is_ this mission?" Genma came to stand next to her, hands casually stuffed in his pockets.

The Hokage nodded. "Ah yes, the mission. I picked you, because of the skills you possess, and the fact that you will work together as a real team. I guessed you would function well together, since most of you have experience working with each other."

She paused, her eyes betraying how serious this was.

"Five of you will go to the north of here, to the outskirts of the Land of Fire. I'll give you a map of the estimated area. Yamato, you're going to stay here, but should something happen on the mission, you'll be back-up. We probably won't need you, but... you never know."

"Of course."

While Tsunade said this, she retrieved a file from her desk drawer.

She continued talking while looking over the details.

"There are a lot of rumors of unrest there. Missing-nin are causing a lot of trouble. Killing, thieving, burning whole villages... They're plundering basically."

The Hokage looked up from the papers and looked each of them in the eye.

"I know it might not seem like much to you, but it's better to be safe than sorry. These missing-nins are numerous, and we aren't sure what the range of power is. It could be an easy mission, but for all we know it could be A-ranked or even S-ranked. Usually I don't accept missions like that so easily but... to be frank, we need the money."

"So, I guess we're doing the usual, huh?" Genma asked.

"Yes," Tsunade nodded, "it's the usual. I am appointing you, Genma, as team leader. I trust you will explain to your teammates what exactly 'the usual' is?"

The brown-haired shinobi nodded, a bit more serious now that he knew what was up for them.

"All right then. I suggest you leave tomorrow. This'll give you enough time to rest and prepare."

She looked at everybody and said: "Understood?"

And as one, they nodded.

_Understood._

* * *

Sakura was staring out of the big window, the one framed by the wall behind Tsunade's desk.

Her soon-to-be-teammates had left already. Genma was -hopefully- briefing them on what exactly they were going to do. Since she and her second-in-command lieutenant had done these kind of missions for years, the kunoichi didn't need to be there. He could easily answer any questions they had. Besides, he was the teamleader and she had a few things she had to get done before they left.

Resting her lower body against the wall, she leaned comfortably at the edge of the window, taking in the semi-darkness.

_This town is so calm. Such a stark difference with the shinobi world... We fight and kill to protect this peace. But in the end..._

She crossed her arms over her chest and studied the skyline.

_...in the end, aren't we just making it worse? We_ kill _to protect_ peace. _Isn't that an oxymoron?_

"Are you being all philosophical again?" Her teacher and friend was standing next to her, her bronze eyes surprisingly soft.

"What?" A little startled, she looked at Tsunade.

"You were frowning and staring out of the window. Are you worried about something?"

"Oh, it's nothing." She schooled and smoothed her face, trying to look less worried than she felt about everything.

_Although... There is something else._

"What about the Akatsuki? And the Uchiha?" She said gently.

Those eyes that were soft a moment ago hardened. Sakura almost felt a bit sorry.

"Yes, I know... But our most important job right now is protecting the city and Naruto. We can't go on a wild goose chase after that man, and the Akatsuki need time to rest before they can even consider attacking us."

Her mouth stood grim, and to Sakura it seemed like her words weren't only directed to her, she was also telling herself.

"This isn't going to be easy, but you have to leave Konoha in order to protect it and its inhabitants, including Naruto."

Sakura sighed and turned back towards the glass, still eyeing the blonde out of the corner of her eye.

"I know, I know. It just doesn't sit well with me. Leaving him like that. It's counterintuitive, you know?"

A small smile graced her mentors face. "Naruto wont be harmed. We'll make sure. There are a lot of shinobi in Konoha, even if you six leave."

Feeling a bit more happy about the situation, Sakura changed the topic.

"All right, Ibiki is replacing me, I guess?"

"As always."

"Can you tell him to look in the bottom drawer of my desk? There is a full report of last months missions. He'll need to catch up on them."

"I will."

With a nod, she thanked Tsunade, and said: "I should check on my teammates... See how they're doing."

She started turning away, but Tsunade's voice stopped her.

"Be careful, Sakura."

_That's the second one today._

* * *

"So... you are spies?" Kiba's head was cocked a bit to the side, his expression curious.

"Yeah, kind of... It's more Sakura that does the infiltrating though."

Genma was half leaning, half sitting on Sakura's desk, his arms crossed over his chest. They had moved to her office, since it was nearby.

"How? Does she henge into one of the people, or something?"

Shaking his head in response to Kiba, Shikamaru said: "No, that would be to risky, wouldn't it?"

"Yeah," Genma agreed, "a henge requires chakra. You'd constantly have to keep up a henge. Even for somebody with so much chakra-control, that would be very distracting, not to mention dangerous. What she does is more old-fashioned. Changing hair colour, make-up, stuff like that."

"So what will we be doing? Are we going to spy?" Kiba was standing next to his complete enigma Neji. While Kiba was excited and energetic, the Hyuuga was calm and collected.

Genma just shook his head. "Not really, as I said, Sakura does most of the work. She collects information about our targets, and I -in this case we- eliminate the targets." He said casually.

A moment of silence passed.

"Do you do this often?" Neji inquired.

A knowing look passed over Yamato's face, but it quickly disappeared behind a pleasant facade.

_Yes, he would know about the missions, I guess._ Genma thought.

"We've been doing them for years. There isn't much I can tell you, you'll just have to see when we get there."

At that moment a certain pink-haired teammate opened the door.

"You told them?" She asked calmly as she confidently walked behind her desk.

"A bit." Her partner answered, not bothering to turn around. He knew she didn't mind to much him sitting on her desk.

She held her hair out of her face with one hand and picked up a small wooden box from inside a drawer with the other.

With experienced hands she quickly opened it with a small key she retrieved from her pocket.

She read through the small labeled vials and picked a few.

_Always handy those poisons... And maybe I should take some antidotes too._

When everything was back in it's place, she made the vials disappear into a small bag on her hip.

"Good. I suggest we go to bed early tonight, no?"

And with these words, she got her team to move out of her office.

She locked the door and smiled as she saw a oh-so-helpfulchunin coming her way.

With an inviting smile she lured the unsuspecting young man closer.

"Could you please take this key to Morino-san?"

His smile faltered a little, unsure if he should surrender or bolt.

_Ah yes, Ibiki sure is scary if you don't know him well. And oh boy did it take long to get to know him..._ Sakura thought with fondness, her smile growing just a little more sweeter.

The man, looking a little bit defeated, bowed respectfully and said: "Of course, I will do it immediately."

A small smile still graced her face as she thanked him.

_How nice of him.  
_

Nodding goodbye to her teammates, she walked away slowly, waiting for Genma to catch up.

As he followed slowly, he said: "Be at the gates at eight tomorrow."

With a final wave over his shoulder he said, "Sleep-well", and followed the pink haired girl, leaving his team in the hallway.

* * *

**੯ੁૂ‧̀͡u**

**Hope you liked it. If you have any constructive criticism to give me, I'll be happy to hear from you.**

**Akamaruuuu out!**

* * *

****Next up: ****_Chapter 6 – Departure_


	6. Departure

**As The Falcon Flies By**

**Chapter 6 – Departure**

**ＵＴｪＴＵ**

* * *

"You know, people might start talking..."

Looking over her shoulder, she winked at Genma.

He returned the favor with a lopsided grin. For once, the sharp, dangerous piece of metal he insisted on carrying around was absent from his mouth.

They were standing in front of Sakura's door, while she looked for the keys in her hip-pouch.

"Now what would they be talking about?" Genma asked as if he didn't know, his eyes wide and naïve.

"Oh, you know... Visiting a young, _innocent_ girl's house, late in the evening?" She teasingly asked.

The kunoichi finally found what she was looking for and swung the front door open.

"Pffff... How dare you suggest such outrageous notions. I'll have you know I'm a proper gentleman."

Laughing with his little act, she shook her head. "Not to mention I could kick your butt if you tried anything I didn't want."

He snorted, even though he knew it was true. From experience.

Sakura turned back towards him, one foot inside, one still outside.

As she leaned against the door frame, her hands tucked behind her, her gaze turned more serious.

"You want to talk about something, don't you?"

Genma looked down at his feet. "Yeah..."

He kicked a pebble, making it shoot away into the shadows.

"It's just... I'm a little worried about tomorrow, about the mission."

She frowned a little at his concern. "Why? We've done this tons of times before... Are you worried about our teammates or something?"

Her partner stepped a little closer, leaning against the wall. He crossed his arms over his chest and casually stood an arm's length across from her, but his eyes betrayed a certain amount of unease.

"The boys'll do fine... Even though they probably don't know you as well as I do."

She smiled a little.

"Yeah, they might be a little surprised once the mission actually starts. It's nothing we can't handle though."

They were still for a few moments, until Genma broke the late evening silence.

"I'm worried about Sound." He said, his voice soft, but still clear in the empty street.

She blinked once, before saying: "You mean you're worried about Sasuke." Her voice turned to something barely louder than a whisper when she said his name.

Genma's eyes met hers and he nodded slowly. "We will be so close to Sound... what if..." He trailed away, unable to find the right words.

"What if we stumble upon him?" She guessed.

He nodded once more.

"I am _not_ still in love with him. You know that. I don't think I ever really was." Sakura said, still standing in the doorway. A soft breeze passed her and lifted a few brightly-colored hair locks, before continuing into her small living space.

"Yeah, of course... But he still used to be your teammate. And friend, even though he might not have shown it often."

She looked him in the eyes, a spark of determination lighting up hers.

"If we see him, we don't interfere, no matter what." Her voice became stable again as her strong personality resurfaced. "He's not worth our time."

Weighing her words carefully, she said: "I don't want to kill him, but I also don't want _anything_ to do with him."

The distaste she had for Sasuke was clear in her voice.

He was glad. If they were to meet the second to last Uchiha, they would turn the other way.

It wasn't that they couldn't fight him, quite the opposite. If Genma and Sakura worked together, they had a quite a fair chance of beating him.

_That's just it. I don't want her to be hurt emotionally... Fighting an old friend is bad enough. Killing him could be traumatic. And she does_ not _need that right now._

A smile broke out from her gloomy exterior as she saw him relax.

"There," the girl said, "feel better?"

He nodded.

"No more worries?"

He shook his head.

"Are you mute?"

He chuckled as he leaned against her and whispered: "Nope."

Her eyes were challenging him, and he succumbed.

It was a gentle kiss. Sweet, soft and short.

"You _are_ a gentleman!" Sakura said teasingly.

He smirked and stepped back, until his back was touching the door frame.

"I can't stay. We should go to bed early today, no?"

She straightened from her position and stretched her back.

"That _would_ be in our best interest..." She said, trying to cover up a small yawn.

With an amused look, he gave her a small last peck on the lips and disappeared into the night.

Smiling, she turned on her heel. The kunoichi threw her keys on the table after locking her door, and fell asleep early for once.

* * *

She arrived quite a bit before eight, her belongings and weapons sealed away in a scroll.

It was fresher today, but the sun still warmed the morning air.

She inhaled long and deep.

_Perfect day for a mission. _

The big heavy gates were opened just enough for two people to enter or leave side by side. She could see the long dirt road, framed by trees on the sides, running into the distance.

Sakura chatted amicably with Kotetsu and Izumo while she waited for the four other shinobi to arrive.

The two chunin gatekeepers always made her laugh. She guessed they needed something to break up the boredom of sitting still all day, so she was happy to oblige.

"So... we've heard certain rumors..." Kotetsu said after chatting only for about two minutes, and winking exaggeratedly.

On second thought, she wasn't _too_ happy to oblige.

"Oh... Rumors about who?" She said, playing dumb.

"Don't play coy, Sakura." The spiky haired man crossed his arms over his chest.

"He told us so himself." Izumo added.

She sweat dropped.

"Ah, really..."

Now she had two smug men sitting across from her. Izumo wasn't as enthusiastic as his best friend. He was still quite amused, none the less.

"It's okay, though. We'll keep it under wraps!" The more talk active of the two moved forward. And in a comical way, urged her towards him.

Playing along, she leaned forward. With a hand covering half of his mouth and in a conspiring tone, he said: "We'll keep it under wraps, _if_, and I repeat, _if_ you dump him and go out on a date with me!"

Sakura groaned.

Izumo straightened a little. "Hey! I'm not getting anything out of this blackmail!"

"Well, you didn't spend a few hours feeding Genma drunk so he'd tell!" Kotetsu retorted.

"Wait, what...?" Sakura tried to come in between their bickering.

"They're is no logic in that blackmail!" Shaking his head, Izumo laughed at Kotetsu.

"Whatever," Kotetsu said, "so wad'ya say, Saki?" He raised his eyebrows at her.

"First of all, don't-" She tried to say, but was interrupted again, by the calmer one of the duo.

"Don't you think you're a little old anyway?"

Kotetsu scowled. "Nuh-uh... Genma's way older than me! Like, by ten years or so!"

"More like six years." A loud and clear voice came from behind Sakura. She was a little startled, but kept her surprise hidden as she enjoyed the look on the two gatekeepers' faces.

Now it was their turn to look unsettled.

_Haha, suckers... Well done, Genma! _

Trying very hard not to stick out her tongue at the troublesome pair and give Genma a high-five, Sakura smiled triumphantly.

"Heh... It was a joke, of course..." Kotetsu said, while Izumo awkwardly scratched his head.

"Of course it was." Genma said smoothly, his face a mask.

"You wouldn't _dare_ blackmail her, would you?" His eyes narrowed dangerously.

When the two shook their heads, he said: "I thought so!"

He motioned Sakura to follow him and they stopped in front of the gap in the open gates.

She could see amusement swimming in his eyes, and she just had to laugh.

"You are quite the knight in armor, huh?"

He chuckled. "Couldn't let them go through with their master plan, huh?"

"I'm just surprised it took them a few hours to get you drunk... You usually drop after-"

"Oh, don't ruin this!"

* * *

"Yo."

_Ah, the tell-tale sign of the Kakashi._

Before she could react, she was tackled by a hyper-ventilating, over excited, orange blur.

"Sakura! You didn't tell us about the mission!" Naruto said, pointing an accusing finger at her.

"I assumed you'd find me. And you did!"

"Don't forget next time." He said as he gave her a big hug.

"I wont be long. A few weeks at most." She said, trying to calm him down.

Her gray-haired jonin sensei stood a bit awkwardly behind his energetic student. He lazily waved at her, but she knew he meant well.

Over the years, she had learnt to tell how the rest of his face looked, just from staring at his uncovered one eye.

He was definitely smiling now.

The jonin opened a small pocket in his vest, and took out a small scroll. He handed it to her, saying: "From the Hokage."

She could see the indicatory seal.

Recognizing it as a high-level information scroll, she decided to keep it closed until she was alone, tucking it away in a pocket.

"Thanks, Kakashi."

* * *

_One, two, three, fou-_ She sighed. _Where is Kiba?_

"Where is Kiba?" She voiced her concerns.

Four heads shook, showing that they all didn't know.

Naruto and Kakashi had left moments after the two most grown-up teammates arrived. That is to say: Neji and Shikamaru.

She rolled her eyes heavenwards, expecting Kiba to arrive just a few seconds before eight.

And she was right. Kiba, together with Akamaru landed in a cloud of dust, in front of the team of passive shinobi.

Kiba grinned at his dog. "We did it, Akamaru! We're on time!"

The big white dog that used to be a cute puppy, but now resembled something close to a polar bear, barked back happily.

"Leave it to Kiba to have a dramatic entrance." Shikamaru snorted, rolling his eyes as Kiba glared.

"All, right. Are we finally ready?" Genma asked.

"Hai." Sakura said, adjusting her hip pouch for easier travel.

"Then we're going to go straight north from here, until we get to Miyasato. It's a small village halfway to our destination."

Sakura nodded absent-mindedly, still adjusting a strap.

She and Genma had passed a few times through Miyasato. They were sure to find a place to sleep there.

She straightened, rolled her shoulders and walked with Genma towards the open gates, waving first at the two chunin gatekeepers.

_Let's go._

And like that, they left for the north.

* * *

****ＵＴｪＴＵ****

****Did you like the Genma/Sakura part? What can be improved? Tell me! I'd love to hear your comments.****

**Akamaruuuu out!**

* * *

********Next up: ********_Chapter 7 - Showers, Fake Names And Anything Except Spinach_


	7. Fake Names and Anything Except Spinach

**As The Falcon Flies By**

**Chapter 7 : Showers, Fake Names And Anything Except Spinach**

**Longest chapter up to date!**

**If anyone is actually following the story, I had to change something in the previous chapter: Yamato is just a back-up on this mission and didn't go with them.**

**Sorry for the terribly long wait. Enjoy!**

**(❍ᴥ❍ʋ)  
**

* * *

They arrived outside of Miyasato just before dinner. Their trek had been relatively quiet, boring almost.

There had been that one moment during their midday break, when tensions rose high between Kiba and Neji. _Probably_ because Akamaru had suspiciously chosen to pee near the Hyuga, and Kiba had just raised his eyebrows innocently and said, "What do you expect? He's a dog." Before Neji could crush Kiba in a merciless Taijutsu attack, she had intervened with a good Sakura-knock on both their heads.

After that, the stuck-up clan ninja and the dog-ninja temporarily teamed up and glared at her for a good part of the trip, but she just innocently blinked at them and hummed happily.

She wondered why they were so unpleasant towards each other, but figured it was about Hinata. If anything connected Neji and Kiba it was the shy kunoichi.

_Maybe Kiba asked her out... That would be nice for her. Although I am still rooting for Naruto and Hinata._

They stopped in a clearing, just before the small village. Sakura could already guess why they stopped there, but the others were staring cluelessly at Genma, who had turned towards them.

Their team leader cleared his throat, interrupting any questions.

With an authoritative voice he spoke to his team.

"We are going to have to change our names from this point on. Sakura and I are known here as Sayomi and Tatsuo, respectively, but you three can just keep your first name. Don't mention your clan at any time, it'll only draw attention to us."

The others simply nodded, used to this. Most shinobi had a few different names and roles they played during a mission.

"Secondly," he continued, "I want you guys to be polite, eh? We often travel through Miyasato and frankly, Sakura and I want to keep on coming here. I know for _most_ of you it won't be a problem, but..."

Kiba's face turned red with what Sakura could only guess was anger, and Neji shot him a smug look. Genma quickly went on, before Kiba could tackle the Hyuga.

"All righty, then." He said as his stern voice and expression lightened up. They finished the last few hundred meters at a slower pace, not wanting to freak out the inhabitants of this small town by running in at an almost inhuman speed.

Before they walked into the small inn, Genma tossed Sakura their key disguise. With a small smile she slipped the band of metal over her left ring-finger, already feeling the confusion brewing behind her. Before one of their teammates could claim that confusion, Sakura opened the wooden door and entered.

A small bell rang above her as she took in the familiar surroundings. The inn was what you would expect from a picture book.

A warm glow surrounded everything, and she could see the familiar picture frames and other decorations littering the walls.

The pine gave of the not unpleasant smell of a wood fire. And even though at the moment there wasn't a roaring fire in the fireplace, she could remember some blocks of wood and kindle, ready to be set on fire last time they had visited in autumn.

Behind a small wooden desk stood the man that ran the place. He had been reading in a heavy book, which Sakura guessed were the financial records of the place. He looked up, his finger marking where he had been going over the data. As he saw the sight in front of him though, the book was forgotten and he walked in front of the desk, smiling his trademark smile.

"Ah, Sayomi-san! How lovely to see you again!" The grey-haired man across from her smiled warmly and respectfully shook her hand.

Peering over his glasses, he looked at Genma and said, "And your husband too, of course. How nice to see you, Tatsuo-san." Genma politely shook his hand, saying: "It is good to be here again."

The innkeeper peered between Sakura and Genma, and smiled as he saw the three others.

"And some young gentlemen, I see?"

With a friendly bark, Akamaru announced his presence too, and the innkeeper nodded. "My, aren't you big! We'll get you some leftovers from the kitchen later, huh?"

The old man nodded his head in thought, while scratching the giant friendly beast, somehow unperturbed by Akamaru's impressive size.

"There is more than enough room for everybody," he said as he walked behind his desk again. "I take it you're staying one night?"

His voice strained a little as he bent over, retrieving some keys from under his desk.

"Yes, only one." Sakura answered.

"There!", he put the collection of almost identical keys on the counter, each of them tagged with a number. "There's only one other guest at the moment, so you can each have your own room. You must be tired, so I wont hold you up with the payment. We'll do that tomorrow."

The innkeeper said, while entering their information into the heavy book.

Sakura took the key of their usual room, while Genma tossed the three others to Shikamaru.

The innkeeper smiled as he motioned them towards the the stairs.

"If you feel like eating later, Yume-chan will prepare dinner in an hour."

Nodding their thanks, the team walked up the stairs.

As Sakura stepped over the last slightly creaking step of the first flight of stairs, she said, "He's always such a sweet man, no?"

With a sly grin, Genma replied, "Yeah, his daughter might be even sweeter though."

"Tsss... You stay away from Yume-chan!", she replied teasingly, "you're too... uncivilized for her."

He smiled crookedly and raised an eyebrow. _But not for you?_

Sakura rolled her eyes and walked on, grabbing the railing. She wasn't very tired, but she still was looking forward to the moment she could shower and skydive onto the soft, _soft_ bed, with the giant pillows and the comfortable mattress...

She was pulled from her musings when Shikamaru spoke up.

"We only have four keys."

Confused, Kiba noticed Genma didn't have a key and nodded. "Yeah! I thought he said there was enough room. Where are you going to sleep? 'Cause me and Aka aren't sharing our bed."

"Nah, we're married, remember?" Genma waved his hand over his shoulder, the wedding ring gleaming clearly.

"Eh...?"

Sakura walked up the last remaining steps, and gladly turned towards their usual room.

"Don't you see the rings, Kiba?" An exasperated voice sounded from behind her, as she quickly unlocked the wooden door.

"Yeah, but...?"

"It's just an act... They're Sayomi and Tatsuo, now. It's to keep their identity hidden. Didn't you listen?" Neji testily explained, with a tone implying Kiba was very, _very_ stupid.

"Hey, don't talk to me like that!"

"I can't help it. You make it _so_ easy."

Sakura just quickly slipped into the dark room, preferring a hot shower anyday over the two quibbling shinobi.

_So much for team-compatibility._

In the lit hallway she could hear Genma explain in hushed tones that they had once pretended to be married because it would be less pricey to sleep in one room, and that they just kept on doing that.

Her face relaxed as she found the light switch and saw the cosy room, the bed rivaling her imagination.

With experienced hands she quickly unbuckled the weapon pouch and dropped it on the left night table, starting to secure the room.

She slipped a kunai under her pillow and hid a few other weapons around the room and in the bathroom, just in case.

It was highly unlikely that they would be attacked here, but old habits die hard.

Rolling her head she stretched her neck and her back. Behind her, the door closed, and Genma dropped unceremoniously on the bed, threading his hand through his hair.

"Your hair is becoming longer." Sakura said, as she sat next to him and plucked at one of his locks.

Opening up one eye, he glanced at her and said, "Yours too. Are you going to grow it out again?"

Her shoulder-length hair fell in front of her eyes as she leaned down to unfasten her slightly heeled shoes.

"Myeah, maybe. It's more practical like this, but I wouldn't mind longer hair."

He played with the points of her hair, tugging at them and smoothing it out.

"Mmh..." She hummed, letting her contentment show as she closed her eyes and curled her toes on the hardwood floor. She inherited quite a few traits from Tsunade, and one of them was wearing heeled shoes. It did wonders for toning her calf muscles, but it wasn't always the most sensible thing.

Starting to unzip her vest, she suddenly remembered the scroll.

"Oh, I nearly forgot!"

"You forgot to... give me a kiss?"

"Charming, but no." Shrugging her vest off, she unzipped one of the numerous pockets and pulled out the scroll that Kakashi had given to her.

"What's that?" Genma rumbled from behind her, letting his hand fall back on the bed as she turned the scroll over in the light.

"Kakashi gave it to me this morning. It's an information scroll, apparently," she said as she broke the seal with her chakra, the only chakra that could make this scroll readable.

_Sakura, _

_This is just a quick update on the Uchiha and Akatsuki-situation._

_The Raikage still hasn't responded with information about Killer Bee, so we don't know if he's been taken by the Akatsuki or not._

_Itachi has been sighted near the Fire-country border, though. Some of our contacts have seen him in the Land of Hot Water about a week ago. I have told the contacts to keep their eyes peeled, but since it was days ago, I am afraid he is long gone. We do not have anymore information other than that about him. Nor about the Akatsuki._

_Be careful, there is a big chance that he is coming towards Konoha, and I am scared he might cross your team's path._

_If you do see him, don't engage._

_The Godaime_

"Itachi has resurfaced."

With a frown she reread the short message.

"Near the border of the Land of Fire and the Land of Hot Water."

"That's bad."

"Yeah. At least we know where he is now."

Genma sat up a little, leaning on his left arm, to look at the scroll in her lap.

"We know where he _should_ be, but that was a week ago," he read over her shoulder.

Sakura placed the scroll in front of him, staring at the ground. "I know, the uncertainty is killing me. If he's coming towards Konoha, then they're probably going for Naruto, but if he's not with the Akatsuki anymore..."

"You shouldn't worry to much about Naruto. He's got lots of people looking over him, _and_ he can hold his own. Let's just focus on the mission."

Sakura nodded. "Yeah, let's do that." Her worried frown disappeared. "I forgot to ask you before we left if you have a list of addresses."

"Ah, I've got it here." He pulled out a folded piece of paper from his vest and handed it to her.

She quickly glanced over at the addresses. "_Hairdresser, clothes shop, kimono's..._ I already brought some kimono's, just in case."

"I know," he replied, "but this mission might require more. Either just dressing you differently, or as a geisha. We'll see how to do it once we get there."

"Oh," her eyebrows raised up a little. "It's been a long time since I've done the Geisha-role. But you're right, of course. We'll just have to see what works best."

She tucked the note back in his pocket.

"Well, I'm going to shower." Sakura said, as she got up from the bed and retrieved new, clean clothes and her hairbrush from one of her scrolls.

"Don't use up the hot water again."

She put the clean clothes in the bathroom and started brushing her hair while double-checking her hidden weapons, a little nervous now that she knew Itachi could be near.

"_Again?_ And look who's talking... For someone who acts all aloof and nonchalant you spend more time than me on your appearance."

He chuckled, looking up from reading the scroll.

"Ouch, that hurt."

"I know, I know..." she said, while putting back a senbon behind the curtain.

She removed her long-sleeved-shirt, and as she walked past the cupboard with the full-length mirror, she could see Genma looking back at her behind her reflection. Their gazes locked and she stood still, the shirt between her fingers momentarily forgotten.

There were a few moments of silence as he watched her and she watched him.

He stood up slowly, leaving the scroll unrolled on the bed as he came to stand next to her.

He broke the silence with a soft voice. "I never get used to them."

Her eyes lowered from his face to the shoulders of her reflection.

The corners of her mouth turned up ever so slightly.

"I don't think _I_'m used to them. I guess I don't show them enough in public."

The impressive markings splayed over her arms always made her filled with pride and at the same time, with sadness.

She had gotten her first tattoo a few years ago, the flame symbol of Konoha, branding her forever as a Leaf ANBU-member. Others soon followed, as time passed and she went up in ranks, and she found new people to love and lost old ones.

It had been a challenge to herself, to see if she could. And of course, Sakura was never one to back down from a challenge. Especially not if she had challenged herself. She was a lot like Gai, in that way.

With a small smile she remembered the look on Sai's face when she asked him to do her first real tattoo: a falcon on each shoulder blade.

For a moment, Sakura had seen his mouth hanging open. It was quickly covered by his cool demeanor again, leaving Sakura wondering if she had actually seen Sai show real emotion.

Him being one of her teammates and a fantastic drawer, she trusted him to do it, and years later she was still happy she had made that decision.

There was something very soothing about sitting there, despite the pain. At first he had been a bit uncomfortable about her pulling of her shirt, but the awkward silence was soon filled with a comfortable one, as he concentrated on his work. The piece took days to finish, and as she looked at the final healed tattoo, she couldn't help but feel euphoric. And proud, of course.

Since cutting off her hair in the chunin exams, she hadn't done much to change her appearance, and this was _quite_ a big step for her younger self.

The two falcons were reminders for her to scale the heavens for her own potential, to make her vision reality by becoming stronger.

She smiled as Genma began to trail his finger over the top of her shoulder, and down to the bottom of her wrist, following the lines carefully.

An even bigger smile threatened to break through as she looked at her sleeves, _the_ masterpiece on her skin.

Genma met her eyes again and stilled, an amused look on his face. "What?" He murmured, his hand encircling her wrist loosely.

"Just remembering Sai, when I came back for more..." Her smile now clearly visible.

Her partner chuckled, and pulled Sakura closer, letting go of her hand to place his own on her stomach.

"I can imagine. That boy must have had a heart attack when he saw you at his apartment again."

Sakura grinned and leaned back a little, into him. He enveloped her in an embrace, making her forget that annoying scroll on their bed.

"Don't you think the 'married couple' thing is pushing it to far?"

"Nah," he replied, resting his head on her shoulder, "they were already buying it. Besides, the old man really thinks were married, so..."

"Good point. Although I wouldn't be surprised if Shikamaru already pieced together that there is something. And Kiba would know too if he used his brain for once."

She joked, as she turned around and kissed him, but using her shinobi skills, teasingly disappeared into the bathroom before he knew what had happened.

"Oh, don't do that!"

"Then join me!" she called from the bathroom, as she removed her travel-stained clothes.

"Tempting, but I don't think that's a good idea..."

"Suit yourself." A sing-song voice drifted from the bathroom.

_That always is the best time of the day for her,_ he mused, _when she gets to shower._

He could hear the water turning on, and a hiss from her as she probably turned it too warm with the enthusiasm to shower.

"I'm going to go check on the others, ok?"

He said, while tiredly getting up. He'd _much _rather stay here, but missions did come first.

"Hmm-mm!" Guessing that was shower-talk for 'Ok!', he slipped from the room, locking it behind him, looking for the others.

Trying to recall which numbers were on the others' keys, he heard a dog bark, leading him to the door with two golden number one's fastened on it with screws.

"Yeah, but it's still weird, don't you think? He's like _even _older than _Kakashi_!"

_Only by four years!_ Genma thought indignantly, ready to knock on room 11.

"Even if they are pretending, it's-"

"Kiba, shut up all ready!" Shikamaru's usually lazy voice was spiked with urgency.

Genma knocked twice and when no answer came, he opened the door slowly.

Akamaru happily snuggled up to him, sensing no threat. Genma started to ruffle his fur, careful to dodge that dreaded cold, wet nose.

His owner, on the other hand, was turning red for the second time that day, this time with embarrassment. Genma could even see a spark of fear in the boy's eyes.

With a lot of effort, Genma kept his face schooled and tried not to laugh with all those emotions he was putting Kiba through.

He stared Kiba up and down, inwardly glad he could still make people squirm beneath his gaze, and then spoke up with an disarmingly friendly tone.

"Sakura got a message this morning. The Uchiha was spotted near the Fire-border in the northeast about a week ago. We aren't sure what this means, but we should stay alert at all times. He might be in the Fire-country."

Turning a bit more serious, the two younger team members nodded, and Kiba's blush even disappeared a little.

"We'll tell Neji when he's done showering in his room," Shikamaru drawled.

"All right, then. Don't forget to get some food later."

He said, while giving Akamaru one more pat on the head.

The idea of making Kiba even more uncomfortable was tempting, and when he heard Kiba sigh in relief, he decided to strike the final blow.

Casually, he glanced over his shoulder and said: "And I'm not _that _old", before closing the door calmly.

Keeping himself from giggling uncontrollably at the look on the boy's face and whistling merrily, he walked back slowly to his own room and using the key, walked inside with a spring in his step.

A snort came from the left side of the bed, where Sakura was propped up against the pillows with the scroll in her hands.

"Why are _you_ so happy?"

"Ah, just terrorizing the minds of young people."

She frowned at him and twisted the ring around her finger absent-mindedly.

"I'm confused. Are you a psychopath?"

He chuckled as he finally slipped his feet out of his shoes and walked towards the now steamy bathroom.

"Nah, just making Kiba sweat."

"Well, that sounds reassuring. I'm going to get us some food. Anything specific you want?"

"Anything except something with-"

"Spinach? Yeah, yeah. I know."

She waved him into the warm bathroom as she slipped on her shoes again and went for some food.

* * *

**(❍ᴥ❍ʋ)**

**I would love to hear your comments! =^T^=**

**Akamaruuuu out!**

* * *

**Next up: **_Chapter 8 - Overture_


	8. Overture

**As The Falcon Flies By**

**Chapter 8 - Overture**

**If there are any people who enjoy this story, I'm sorry it took so long! I hope you enjoy this cute little chapter. ^_^**

**◖OᴥO◗**

* * *

"Sayomi-chan!"

A young girl with cropped shoulder-length brown hair and a well-used apron tied around her, waved at Sakura as the kunoichi walked down the stairs.

"Yume!"

With a big smile, Sakura walked through the open door and into the dining area.

The young woman was rubbing the belly of a well-fed Akamaru, who was probably enjoying every single minute of their stay.

"You spoil him, Yume-chan. He's going to become lazy and fat." But contradicting her own words, she knelt down and started scratching the content beast behind its ears, much to it's delight.

"You know, Sakura, I think I might be allergic to dogs." As Sakura looked up, Yume just grinned with watery eyes and a red nose.

"Yume?!"

"Ne, calm down, Sakura. It's nothing serious. I can mind being sniffy, if I get to cuddle with this giant adorable bear." She laughed, while wiping her face.

"Yume..." Sakura groaned. "Don't wipe your face with that hand! You just caressed him."

"Ha! Oops." She smiled sheepishly. "Anyway, weren't you the one who insisted on feeding two stray cats, even though you could barely look through the tears in your eyes?"

Sakura sat down more comfortably, stretching her legs in front of her. "Hm. I told you that? Yeah, that turned into more than I had asked for. Word spread on the kitty-streets and soon I was feeding a dozen of furry, cute and life-threatening cats."

They both laughed at their misfortunes.

"It was quite a surprise for grandpa and me. We weren't expecting you and Tatsuo-san for another few months." The wide-eyed girl said softly, changing the subject.

"Yeah, we weren't going to come by until the weather had softened a bit. You know how tiring it can be to travel when it's still so warm, especially with such a big group."

"That's true. Especially for you, boy, hm?" Yume cooed, holding Akamaru's head on her lap, who was oblivious to Yume's sniffing.

Sakura took in her surroundings again, secretly glad that she had such a safe house available to her.

The first time she and Genma had stayed here, they pretended to be family of wealthy merchants, so tgey had an excuse to travel so much without being suspicious. Over the course of their partnership they had dropped this image a bit when in the company of Yume and her grandfather. It was a comfortable arrangement. The innkeepers probably knew that they were shinobi, but they had never asked, and also didn't intend to.

Sakura liked it this way. Not to much information meant no leaks and no chances that Yume or her grandpa could be tortured for information.

Despite withholding them information, they had become good friends.

"You hungry?" The chestnut-haired girl stood up, moving through a door, to then reappear behind a counter with a big open window in front to presumably pass dishes through from the kitchen.

She smiled, while washing her hands thoroughly and splashing her face repeatedly. "I can make you guys something, it's late enough, I guess. "She grabbed some potential ingredients from the pantry and dropped them onto the kitchen counter.

"Any chance you can make pumpkin broth? He loves that."

"Oh, I don't think so." Yume said, as she stretched to reach some plates from the overhead cupboard. "We didn't buy pumpkins last time we were at the market. I can make you guys something else, though."

"Hm. It's not really the season for pumpkin, I guess. Anything without spinach then."

Yume shot her an amused look as she put a stack of sparkly-clean white plates on the kitchen counter. "He _still_ doesn't like spinach? Did you try that trick? _'You have to taste something ten times before you can decide wether you like it or not.'_ Mom always used to say that whenever I felt like throwing a hissy fit over some vegetable she made." The girl in the tattered, frayed and stained apron said, while shaking her hand impressively with a wooden spoon, impersonating any stereotypical chef.

Sakura grinned as she played along, acting terrified of the wooden utensil. "Yeah, I know that trick but I can't get him to taste spinach even once... Honestly, sometimes I think I'm married to a child."

The girl across from her sighed with all her might, causing a few brown locks to stray into the air.

"I wish _I_ was married! At least you have a husband, and you get to travel, and see the world..." The girl said dejectedly, staring wistfully at her surroundings, as she washed the vegetables.

A deep rumble sounded from the door opening.

"Yume, you're sixteen! Don't get ahead of yourself. You're far to good of a cook for me to let you elope with some _boy_ in some foreign country."

Rolling her eyes dramatically, Yume let the spoon disappear in one of the many pockets of her old and treasured apron.

"Oh, I wouldn't dare... Who knows what would happen to mother's inn if I'd leave you to run it, grandpa." She said, as she flicked her hair over her shoulder.

The old man's chest rumbled with silent laughter. "I'd be tearing my hair out in a week's time, that's for sure."

"No," Yume said teasingly, "you'd be clasping your head, _looking_ for hair to pull out!"

"I'm not _bald_." He said, and then added, "Yet."

The two girls laughed, causing Akamaru to sit up, curiously.

"Oh, right." The man said, clearing his head of the thoughts of his last wisps of grey hair. "Don't forget to bring the boy's meal up, eh? You know he doesn't like to come down if he can help it."

Yume just waved him off, already quite aware of their guest's peculiar habits, having brought up most of his food each day since he arrived.

"Who's this _boy_ I keep hearing about? Is this the one you have a crush on, Yume?" Sakura said playfully, while Akamaru pushed his head against her, reminding her to give him more affection.

The brown-haired kitchen princess, who had yet again retrieved her favourite spoon, was now stirring in a deliciously smelling cooking pot.

As a reaction to Sakura's words, Yume's betraying face became a few shades redder.

"N-nobody! Crush?! I don't know w-what you're talking about." She said rushed.

"Hm-mmm." Sakura hummed, implying Yume was lying, or trying to, at least.

"Really!"

"Hm."

"..." Stubbornly, Yume stared at the simmering ingredients in the pot, ignoring the two other humans in the room. She happily threw Akamaru a piece of food, though. He wasn't annoying.

"Oh," the old man helpfully butted in, much to the young girl's dismay. "Yume-chan just has a silly little crush on one of our guests, on that boy, but I fear she especially likes his..., quote, _'ruggedly handsome looks'_, unquote."

Yume, who was turning a darker shade of red every minute and who was now almost frantically stirring in the cooking pot, spoke up in her defense.

"I never said that!" She squawked, "You just made that up! And it's _not_ a 'silly little crush'! He's a very sophisticated and intelligent man with a great personality, but I do not have a _crush_ on him!"

Unimpressed, but still with a smile on his wrinkled face, the grandpa said: "Hm. Well, whatever. I'm sure it's not a silly little crush. Stop abusing the soup, Yume. You're turning it into foam."

With a wave towards Sakura, he disappeared from their sight, probably to go over his important numbers and data again, and/or secretly laugh with the reaction he got from Yume.

Said person's feathers were clearly ruffled as she mumbled something about 'that old man' and 'see what he would do if she ...'. Her chestnut eyes sparkled with indignance, as she was probably plotting her revenge on the old man, step by step, for embarrassing her.

Giving Akamaru one last ruffle, which he thanked her for with a very unwelcome lick in the face, Sakura got up. Stretching her arms above her head, she caused her joints to satisfyingly pop.

Glancing over at the younger girl, she saw that Yume's face was slowly returning to it's original colour and the stirring became much less like... whisking.

"So?"

"What...?" Yume said, feigning ignorance.

"Oh, you know what I want to know! Who's this guy?!" Sakura said, as she leaned against the countertop.

"I may be married, but I still like to gossip about boys, you know!"

Tucking the forever errand strands of brown hair behind her ears, Yume shot Sakura a toothy smile, happier to tell someone closer to her own age.

Clearing her throat, she began.

"Well... He arrived here about five days ago. Since then, he hasn't come out of his room a lot, much less the inn."

Interested, Sakura leaned in further. She would never admit it, but secretly she enjoyed the chattering about boys she sometimes did with other girls.

"So... He's a bit of a loner?"

"No!" Defensively, Yume shook her head.

"Well... I don't know. He's just very... quiet, I guess. And serious."

Raising an eyebrow, Sakura said, "This doesn't sound like somebody you'd like. Are you sure it's his personality you're attracted to?"

Red tinged her ears yet again, as the cook fumbled with the spices.

"Well... He's _also_ really attractive, but that's not the most important." The younger girl quipped, as she put a small spoonful of an unknown to Sakura spice in the boiling pot.

Remembering that Sakura didn't like too much spice in her food, she poured the second spoon back in the tin it came from.

"He's... I don't know the right words..."

The girl continued, while she poured a portion of the soup into a container, and closed the lid to keep it warm until Sakura took it back to their room.

"He's softspoken I guess, and always calm. He's intimidating though, I'm still a bit scared of him..."

A little worried, Sakura frowned. "Why? Did he try something? Did he say something mean to you?"

Yume's eyes widened in surprise. "Oh, no. He's not like that. I may have worded it wrong. I meant that he comes off as intimidating, but actually there is something about him that hints towards a sort of... kindness? Tenderness? Oh, I don't know... It's difficult to describe."

Intrigued, Sakura wondered if she would see this man during her visit, to see for herself what all the fuss was about.

"Does this 'he' also have a name?"

"Oh, yeah! His name is Ankoku. He never told me, but I was curious so I checked grandpa's data book."

Yume admitted, as she cut a few slices of bread to go with their soup.

"Ah, a name. Always a plus. Though I find the idea of 'the nameless ruggedly-handsome man in the dark' also quite intriguing."

Sakura teasingly said, making sure to stay out of reach of Yume's wooden spoon.

Putting everything on a wooden tray, Yume happily passed Sakura the meal, glad the embarrassment-quota of the say had finally been filled.

"There you go, Sayomi! I'm sure Tatsuo will like that."

Nodding her thanks for the meal and the emotionally-laden chitchat, Sakura walked back to her room with the heavy tray, using her shinobi skills to dodge a very excited Kiba, before the big tray could go flying in a dreadful mess.

"Oh, _man_, that smells good! I smelled it from all the way upstairs. There wouldn't happen to be some for me, would there?"

Amused, she sent the dog-like man towards the kitchen, Akamaru, Yume and probably a very good meal.

She smiled at the expression on Genma's face as he saw the platter. He had just been going through his bag, looking for new clothes as she knocked on their door. Opening the door for her he helped her through, eyes sparkling with anticipation at the prospect of eating one of Yume's meals again. Sakura rolled her eyes as she put the tray down on their desk. He always got overly excited when they ate well on a mission. She couldn't blame him though, they both were terrible cooks.

Quickly ducking back into their bathroom, Genma exchanged the towel around his waist for a more comfortable set of clothes.

Running his hands through his hair, he sat on the other available chair and contently watched Sakura pour the soup in two plates.

"We almost got foam instead of soup, you know." She said, while pushing a plate towards him and relaxing into her chair.

"Huh?" He said, the piece of soaked bread already halfway to his mouth.

"Yume got upset and took her anger out on the soup." She said with a grin, while spreading butter on her bread.

"Now that you've said it... There _are_ quite a few bubbles..."

Blowing on her spoon, Sakura decided she would eat her portion in a more civilized way and less like the slob across from her, who had happily traded his senbon in for a spoon.

She gave him a pointed stare when he burned his mouth with the hot soup, causing him to slow down a little.

"Why was she pissed?" He said, taking a sip of his glass, trying to relieve the pain a little without being _too_ obvious.

"Oh, she has a crush on one of the guests. The old man and me were teasing her about it."

"I'm not surprised," Genma said, wishing he had been there to tease her too. "Yume has crushes on almost every guest that passes through here."

Sakura laughed, while recalling a rather embarrassing stay with Genma here a few years ago. They had started pretending to be married on missions not long after, for both their sanity's sake.

She tore the crust of her bread into little pieces and dropped them into her soup.

"I never know why you do that. It adds nothing to the taste."

"I just like it that way."

"You're weird."

She rolled her eyes as she wiped her mouth with a tissue.

"_Fine_, I'm weird. Now where were we...? Oh, yeah. Yume! She seems to be quite serious about this one, you know."

"As in, she really really wants to marry him? That's nothing new on the horizon, you know." Genma said, already wiping his plate clean with a piece of read.

"I guess, but I still want to see this man. He sounds either really boring or really mysterious. I'm pretty sure Yume is leaning towards the second."

The man across from her snorted. "Oh, boy. The old man must be worried."

Sakura grinned back.

"On another note, did you like the meal?"

"Of course! _Yume_ made it. It was good. Like... _real_ good."

"Real real good?"

"Reaaaaally good."

"Mhhm..." Her eyes sparkled with anticipation, causing him to shift nervously.

"What...?" He said, his smile becoming a little crooked, as if part of him wanted to laugh because Sakura was laughing, but the other part couldn't help but worry _why_ she was grinning so widely.

Met with silence, he eyed her suspiciously, then let his eyes trail to their empty plates, still stained with the green soup.

Green.

_No._

Realisation hit him like a train.

"Sp-spinach?!"

"Yup." Her grin widening every second.

"How could you, Sakura?!"

Feigning guilt, the kunoichi theatrically slipped from her chair and dropped to her knees, clasping her hands together in a silent plea for forgiveness.

"After all these years."

"It was for your own good."

"I trusted you!"

Rolling her eyes, she got up and looking at him, put her hands on her hips.

"Oh, get over yourself. You liked it. You _loved_ it. 'Reeaaally good...' if I recall correctly."

"Nuh-uh!"

"Mh-mhh!"

She childishly stuck her tongue out.

"You tricked me, dammit!"

"Oh, come on," she said, still smiling, relishing in the fact that her plan had worked, "it's just a vegetable."

Pouting with his arms crossed over his chest, he stared at her.

She just as stubbornly stared back.

When she arched an eyebrow at him, he finally broke into laughter.

Caught by surprise, she couldn't help but let her stern face slip and be replaced by a laughing one.

"You should have seen your face." She said, in between fits of laughter.

Unusually, Genma's face turned a little red.

Still grinning, the kunoichi kissed him softly, adding to the already flustered face.

"You are sly, Sakura." He said drily, but still amused, picking his senbon back from the table.

She just giggled and plucked the weapon/toothpick from his hand, before he could bring it to his lips.

"Ah, but just imagine all the possibilities now. The world of spinach-dishes has opened to you!" Sakura said with an almost Gai-like sparkle in her eyes, as she held the senbon in the air.

Chuckling, he pulled her closer and onto his lap, stating: "You're such a looney."

"Hai, I do my best." She said, before kissing his annoying smirk away.

The soup _had_ been green, yes. That being said, green didn't necessarily mean it contained spinach.

But she wasn't going to be the one to tell him that.

* * *

**◖OᴥO◗**

**I would love to hear your comments!**

* * *

**Next up: **_Chapter 9 - How The Sun Disappeared_


	9. How The Sun Disappeared

**As The Falcon Flies By**

**(Chapter 9 : How The Sun Disappeared)**

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**Hi! This chapter is a bit shorter than usual, but it felt like a nice place to stop.**

**Hope you enjoy!**

**▽･ｪ･▽ﾉ"**

* * *

She was trapped. Unable to move. Paralyzed by her fear of the darkness that was slowly creeping in.

That pure black was filling every bit of her. Encasing her and sinking in to her skin. It reminded her of the split moment you burned yourself on hot water, but because it's so hot, it feels ice-cold.

It was covering her in its silky, soothing embrace, but at the same time, trying to choke her.

She had been laying down in a dark space and all she could remember was shivering at something unknown, perhaps in forewarning.

Moments later, her feet were frozen. It slowly crept up, restricting her whole torso and making it hard to breathe.

She had never felt so emotionally confused. Her mind was a jumble and whirring with memories but unable to stay long enough on one for her to remember it.

She was in some sort of stupor and she felt so shaken up that she couldn't remember where she was or how she had gotten there. She tried to fight back the thick wall of suffocation, one step at a time.

With great concentration she was able to lift her hand and push, but the hard unmovable wall of a moment ago suddenly just gave in and sucked her hand in like a thick kind of syrup.

Quickly she withdrew as if stung or tainted.

She didn't understand. It was unlike anything she had encountered. Resolute on finding a way out, she steeled herself and concentrated on what she could do, instead of caving into the panic.

She closed her eyes so she would see her definition of black, and not this strange, living pureness that made her shiver in fear.

One thing she faintly remembered about herself was that she had precise chakra control.

Determined, she ignored the fact that _it_ had almost completely engulfed her.

Her hands shook as she tried to form hand signs all the while avoiding the thing that had started to cover her face and upper arms.

And after what seemed like an eternity, she was able to produce short burst of chakra. In slicing motions, she cut through her surroundings as if holding a machete and slicing through rainforest undergrowth. A knife made of light, because having been in the dark for so long, her chakra almost blinded her.

A disorienting feeling overcame her. It felt like she was falling. The dizziness made her grab her head to try and still the motion sickness.

Shocked, she stared up at a ceiling. She was almost hyperventilating.

When her eyes adjusted to the shadows, she realised she was in her room. In the bed, to be exact, lying next to a fast asleep Genma. She tried to control her heavy breathing and scan the room for any immediate danger, ready to jump up in a split second and protect his defenseless and unknowing body.

When her room remained silent and unmoving, she relaxed back into the mattress, a frown marring her face. It had felt incredibly real, yet all signs pointed towards it solely taking place in her head.

Carefully, she let her chakra spread out and try to find the enemy perpetrator. When her search didn't turn up anything unusual, she was finally able to breath a little easier, only a sweat sheen on her skin an indication of what had happened minutes ago.

She could not remember being that scared for a long way back, and that said quite a bit, looking back at her years spent in Anbu.

Trying to make out what had happened, she felt the mumbled up mess in her head dissipate, due to exhaustion. Mentally shaking her self, she focused and tried to grab those last dregs of memory and make something out of them, but it had all taken a toll on her.

Slipping deeper into the bed, her hand curling around a kunai, she let weariness take her away, shutting her eyes tightly. She curled up to her partner, who returned the action and instinctively turned towards her warmth.

Whatever the attack had been, it seemed like the culprit wasn't planning anything anymore.

She quickly dozed of and fell deeply asleep, but not before the memory of that horrid dark flickered under her eyelids again.

* * *

He was standing in the middle of a clearing, surrounded on all sides by big oak trees. He wondered how old they were for them to have grown so tall. The insects around him slowly continued their nightly song again, minutes after he had interrupted it, as if he had stopped existing.

But he did exist, he thought, as he was reminded by the acute pain in his left eye. It was difficult to ignore the burning sensation.

He lifted his hand up, and paused as he looked at his hand, an almost sickly pale colour in the bright moonlight. The countless scars marred his skin like veins in marble.

He shook himself mentally. She must have really taken a tax on him for him to be staring at his hands in the middle of a field, he thought.

He gently dabbed his eye, unsurprised at the sharp jolt of pain in his head.

He shouldn't have done it, he thought, looking at his hand again. He should have waited, thought it through, instead of just trying a jutsu that could possibly be detrimental to his sight.

Hot, sticky blood made a stark contrast with his white fingertips.

It had happened again. And it was no wonder, either. His sight came and went. And it had been doing that for a while, now, with worsening symptoms.

Again he cursed himself, irritated with his irrational choice.

He hadn't expected her to have fought back so much. Most people wouldn't be able to get themselves together enough to try and fight back, much less _break out _of his genjutsu. To be honest, he was impressed. Molding your chakra in such a way that it can physically cut through genjutsu, a jutsu of the _mind, _is quite a feat.

Sakura Haruno wasn't quite like what he remembered. Or he wasn't quite as sharp as he used to be, although he did consider himself to be able to handle almost any threat.

Quite a few years had gone by, so anything was possible.

Itachi only really remembered her for being on his little brother's team. Compared to him and the jinchuriki, she wasn't very remarkable. Or _hadn't_ been, at least.

He silently pondered her abilities, hidden from sight by the towering trees around Miyasato.

If only he had taken more of an interest when she had taken down Sasori. Granted, she hadn't done it on her own but it was enough to warrant some casual informing on his part. But he hadn't. _And now I'm left in enemy territory with a team of enemy-shinobi as neighbours, without being able to properly assess their strengths while remaining incognito, _he growled mentally.

He sighed as he slumped his shoulders and massaged his temples, feeling a headache coming up.

She was strong, he could tell. And chakra-efficient, he thought, as he remembered the blades she had created to shred his illusion in to pieces. Not to mention some of her team mates were by their own already quite strong, but together and in the weak state he was in right now, it would be a challenge.

He didn't have to worry about a potential fight. Not tonight, at least. He had felt her chakra discreetly prod the environment, but he had completely covered up his own. Shortly after, he had felt her chakra slow down to a much more relaxed pace and he figured she'd fallen asleep.

Crouching down, he cleaned the already congealing blood off on a piece of moss.

He had to review his plans. It wouldn't do to stay at the inn for much longer, but he didn't want to leave while she was still a potential source of information. Absent-mindedly, he pulled out a small dandelion, and twirled it in between his fingers.

A small and rare smile curved the corners of his lips. Maybe he _could_ use this situation to his advantage. The fragments of memories and thoughts he'd glimpsed in her head had shown him some information about the mission they were on. _And her medical skills._

Straightening his legs, Itachi looked up at the stars and the bright moon one last time. Keeping his chakra covered and his appearance altered, he walked back towards the inn and made his way back in to his room without disturbing anything. After quickly rinsing off his face of any traces of blood, in case the girl came to bring him breakfast in the morning, he methodically slipped his feet from out of his shoes and laid down on the neatly made bed.

He fell asleep shortly after, fully dressed and unconscious of the flower he was still holding.

* * *

**▽･ｪ･▽ﾉ"**

**If you have any questions or feedback, feel free to leave a comment or PM me! **

**-A**

* * *

**Next up: **_Chapter 10 - As The Threads Fall Apart_


	10. As The Threads Fall Apart

As The Falcon Flies By

(Chapter 10 : As The Threads Fall Apart)

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**Enjoy! **

**U＾ェ＾U**

* * *

"We've got to go back." Genma's insistent whisper carried far in their silent room. He had put up a simple undetectable chakra-barrier, blocking all sounds from escaping the room.

The downside was that they couldn't hear any sounds from _outside _their room either. They weren't to worried about a possible enemy shinobi, as Shikamaru could easily detect him and warn them.

Sakura was still lying on her back, in the same position she had woken up in. The only difference was the extra cushion propping her up and the tea warming her hands. For late summer, it was already becoming fresh in the mornings. She was grateful of Yume for having brewed her a pot.

"It's not safe." Genma continued, one leg folded under himself, the other hanging over the side of the bed, dangling inches above the hardwood floor. His voice was still a bit gruff from just waking up.

"I didn't know being a shinobi was ever safe." She calmly responded.

He snorted. "More unsafe than usual, then."

Silently, she pondered his words as she carefully took a sip of the hot tea.

It was already later in the morning, later than they had wanted it to be, and the birds were singing loudly outside their window. From where she was sitting, she could just see Neji with his back against a tree, reading what seemed like his logbook. Akamaru and an equally enthusiastic Kiba were running around and laughing in the tall grass. Amused, she watched Neji ruefully shake his head without looking up from his notes when Kiba slipped and fell on a patch of mud.

This prompted Akamaru to bound to him and playfully nudge him further into the mud.

Sakura suspected Kiba was letting him do a little, as she heard Yume laugh and cheer them on out of sight.

_That would be cute. _She thought. _Yume and Kiba. _

It seemed like such an idyllic place. And yet, she hadn't felt this uneasy for a very long time.

Straightening her back, she shifted the pillows more cozily, making her aching muscles scream in protest.

She met Genma's annoyed gaze and just winked back.

Exasperated, he sighed and dramatically fell back on the bed, causing her tea to nearly spill.

With careful movements, she topped it up with warm water.

"You're right. It isn't safe here." Before Genma could interrupt, she held up her hand.

"However, we can't go back."

Genma leaned up on one elbow, looking up at her from the end of the bed.

"Why _in the world _not?"

"_Because_," she said, keeping a stern face, "I don't want to."

He just slowly blinked.

"That's unfortunate. "

She pouted, as he just laughed softly.

He crawled up to her when she kept on frowning at him in displeasure.

She raised an eyebrow when he took her cup of tea away and put it out of reach, on his night table.

When he turned back towards her with a smug little smile, she contemplated using the little chakra she had charged up to fling the cup against his back with a chakra-string.

_Severe chakra depletion, but revenge, or safe and sound?_

_Choices, choices. _

She slowly lifted her hand, ready to swiftly gather a tiny amount of chakra.

"Don't even think about it, Tiny. "

She raised her eyebrow in surprise at his old nickname for her.

"Who you calling tiny, old man?" She made a half-hearted move to push him of the bed, already aware that wouldn't get her anywhere.

She felt even more glum as she saw that perfectly good pot of hot water next to her just go to waste.

"With who are you in a relationship, Sakura?" He shook his head, already anticipating her strangeness.

"With tea."

He rolled his eyes. "I think you meant with _me_."

"Whatever, you're not even food."

He burst out laughing and turned on his back, to dodge one of her little, but always painful fists.

His smile quickly disappeared again behind a face of worry. _Something's bothering him._

He held her left hand and started drawing over the ink lines of her forearms with his index finger.

"So what happened?"

She groaned. "We already went over everything."

"Again. We've got to think. You're _bedridden_, for Kami's sake. When's the last time that has happened?"

She smiled when she remembered. It was a typical case of 'horrible-when-it's-happening-but-funny-later'.

"That time I took up Gai-sensei and Lee's challenge to eat a whole bowl of the Curry of Life." She was grinning fully now. "I spent a week in the hospital after that. And I detest spicy food now." She cringed as she remembered that awful challenge. And shisou's endless tirade.

He slowly nodded, than froze and frowned and finally, he burst out laughing.

"Wait, what? _Curry of Life? _No, never mind, I don't want to know. You might get me involved next time."

"Oh, for sure, Genma." She grinned, poking him lightly in the stomach.

When he raised an eyebrow, she shook her head, as if clearing it. "Oh, right. What happened. So, I fell asleep easily. We'd already checked extensively for set traps, enemy genjutsu,... We checked our own weapons then, making sure we had some ready in case of an emergency, as per mission protocol."

He nodded, prompting her to continue.

"We concluded that there were no enemy contraptions of any kind in our sleeping quarters, nor an actual perpetrator."

"That can all go in the report, go on."

She swallowed, wishing she didn't have to talk about this again.

"After falling asleep easily, I seemed to wake up in an unknown place, unrecognizable by any key characteristics, due to there being so little light.

I felt my legs being paralyzed by something unknown. The seemingly paralyzing darkness slowly crept up, leaving me confused and dazed and scared. Memories started resurfacing, as clear as if they were on a big screen in front of me."

"What memories?"

She shook her head. "They passed by to quickly to remember anything. It was as if somebody was flipping through a Rolodex of my life." She paused. "But don't put that in the report. It's a little to cheesy."

He rolled his eyes and waved her on.

"After that, the dark glue like, syrupy thing incapacitated my torso and started to move around my neck. That is when I thought of using the medical jutsu for chakra scalpels, to...uh, slice and dice it!"

"I'm not putting that in either." He said, smiling lopsidedly.

She stuck out her tongue.

"I woke up in our room and too exhausted to wake anybody or warn you, I fell asleep. From all this we can conclude that I probably never left the room, and it was a genjutsu. And that it was a highly skilled shinobi, who might be our neighbor_, yada yada yada... _There, I practically wrote that report for you."

"I hate paperwork." He grunted, already tired just thinking about the paperwork he would have to fill in once he got back home, explaining why he had let one of his teammates, and a medicin-nin at that, get hurt. Never mind that she was his superior back home or that they probably couldn't have foreseen it.

"Have you decided how to go ahead?

He frowned, seeming to not have heard her.

"Genma."

He turned over her hand and pressed two fingers against her pulse.

_"Genma." _She growled.

He laid a hand on her forehead. She tried to suppress a shiver caused by his cold hand against her skin.

"You've got a fever."

"I know, _doctor._"

"Maybe you're 've suffered from severe chakra-depletion. We can't travel today. Not at a reasonable pace anyway."

"But you still want to go back to Konoha." She somberly said.

"What about the attacker, Sakura? It's quite a big possibility he's the other guest. And I don't want to jump to conclusions, but there's a big chance that we aren't dealing with just any shinobi."

"You mean Akatsuki."

"I mean _Itachi_."

Sakura frowned, "Now you _are_ jumping to conclusions. "

He rolled his eyes. "Logical conclusions. I don't know many people who can do such a high level genjutsu, do you? You said yourself that it had to have been a highly skilled shinobi. I've never even heard of something like that jutsu, let alone _experienced_ any of it. It's dangerous, Sakura."

"You don't have to tell me that." She bit out, annoyed by the whole situation. She could sense Genma's muscles tightening with her sharp tone, as if steeling himself for a confrontation.

She quickly softened her face and breathed in deeply. Pleadingly she looked at her partner. "We can't go back Genma, it's dangerous."

His eyes narrowed a little in distrust, an expression so out-of-place, it took her back a little.

"It's not more dangerous than staying here, or _going on _to the city! What is it with you, Sakura?"

"What are you trying to say?" She hissed, suddenly very weary and definitely not in the mood for a discussion. He was right of course, but she couldn't, _wouldn't_ let this opportunity to help Naruto slip by.

"_You tell me, Sakura._" He ground out, alarming her with his unusual behavior.

He had dropped her hand a while ago, and she clasped them together, to hide the fact that they were shaking a bit with fear and exhaustion.

"I don't know what you're talking about."

Had she been less shaken up, she'd have gone about this a different way.

Had she been a lot more rested, she might have been able to use more tact. And had she been just a little more _goddamn_ awake, she might have prevented his outburst.

But she wasn't, and she couldn't. And now she could clearly see his distrust in his eyes.

He stood up stiffly, as if Sakura was merely a stranger, _and a detestable one at that._

"I'm so sick of it." His words bounced around in the room, sticking and clinging to her and turning her stomach around. She didn't want this. Didn't like it. It made her feel upset and queasy. Before she could ask him to stop, he continued, turning her mouth dry.

"So _fucking _sick of your little _quest." _He spat out the last word, whirling back towards her, his back towards the window. She stared up at him, her mouth hanging open a bit in shock and surprise at this quick 180-degrees turnaround of their feelings.

If she stretched out her hand now, she would be able to touch him. She quickly rejected the notion, as she saw his cold and furious stare looming down on her.

Her voice croaked when she spoke. "What do you mean, _quest_?"

She braced herself for an outburst, bu he just completely stilled, his face a mask of frozen disappointment. Once seething, he was now cold as ice.

For a moment, he reminded her of that infinite and stifling _darkness._ But Genma possessed more emotions and expressions, even though he was trying to hide them from her now. He wasn't as clinical. He had never wanted to _kill _her.

She had to suppress a shiver. Blankly, she stared over his shoulder, through the window, at a scene which still seemed as mockingly idyllic.

When she looked at his eyes again, she saw something dangerous and unreadable flicker in them.

_"Sasuke."_

He spat the name, his bitter emotions resurfacing briefly in his disgust for her old teammate. "Don't manipulate me, Sakura." He whispered it, barely loud enough to be heard.

She stared at him, cold shivers crawling up and down her back. "I don-"

"Every single time we make up," he drawled, "you tell me how little you care about Sasuke. About how you're so_ indifferent_ as to whether he comes back or not. Even as to whether he dies or not."

She breathed in deeply, ready to stop him with anything. _Please, this isn't necessary. Not now._

"Please just-"

Again he continued, speaking so deliberately soft that she had to keep quiet to hear him.

"But then _every single fucking time_ we get close to Sound Border, it's as if you turn into your thirteen year old self again."

He turned away from her as if refusing to look her in the eyes. "And the idiot I am, I go along with it. And I forgive you, and just wave it away, and just try to forget it, and..."

He breathed in deeply, letting his rush of words sink in first.

"_And_…it needs to stop." There was a finality in those five words that hang heavily between them.

She cleared her throat. Her voice still sounded gruff and alien when she spoke. "You know I try to bring him back for Naruto. He made me a promise all these years ago to bring Sasuke back. He's been hurt by all of this. _Everybody _has been hurt. We just need closure, especially Naruto. _I do it for him._"

"Mhm," he said, seeming totally unimpressed, "then why does it always turn out to be about Sasuke? You miss him, don't you? I wonder who you'd dive in bed with if he were here." He said, his heated face alight with mockery.

"Enough!" She screamed, slapping her hand hard on the night table next to her, making Genma lean back a little in surprise.

"Stop it, just _stop it. _Don't make a fool of yourself, Shiranui._" _She hissed. "I did _nothing _to earn this." Her voice broke halfway, but she didn't care.

"Nothing, huh? You "despise" him, yet you still want to bring him back? Konoha is better of without him, don't you see, Sakura!?" He was breathing heavily now, his hand clasping the windowsill behind him, turning his knuckles white.

Her heart felt heavy as she whispered a few hoarse words, almost choking on her held back tears. "You try losing a team member, Genma, I swear..."

He let go of the windowsill and stood up straighter.

Once more he looked her in the eyes. "I _have, Sakura._"

And then, as if nothing had happened, he calmly walked towards the door and let his hand rest on the cold copper door nob.

"Genma, what are we going to do then?" She said, holding her arms around herself, as if to physically keep herself from falling apart.

There was a short pause of silence, in which she refused to be heard crying and sobbing.

She could see his shoulders relax a little, and he finally spoke in fast, clipped words.

"As team leader... I say we move forward and complete our mission, as requested by the Hokage. We'll just have to wait another day for you to recuperate and then we'll take it slow. As for that enemy, I'll send the Hokage a letter, but I'm sure she'll agree to take the risk even though it could be Akatsuki. Konoha needs that money."

Sakura tried to blink away the tears, but it just caused them to heavily fall down her face. Her mouth already tasted salty.

"But... What about us?"

"I- I don't know what you want me to say." He stood there uncomfortably, pulling a hand through his hair. "There is no _us. _And if you're just a little bit honest, you know there never was a 'us' to begin with. We just use each other."

"But you're my partner." She choked back a sob.

He turned his head slightly, so half of his face was visible to her.

"I've got nothing more to say about that, Haruno." A sad smile appeared for a brief moment, and then he was gone.

The door clicked shut behind him.

* * *

****U＾ェ＾U****

**Hi! I'm glad people are reading this! If you have some feedback or a comment, leave it here or PM me. **

**Things are finally starting to get going! So much tension, haha. This fight was surprisingly easy to write, though I wish I didn't have to separate these two for now. The plot comes first! ****Maybe in the future I'll try to write something about Sakura and Genma. **

**Until Chapter 11 :)**

**-A**


	11. The Show Must Go On

**As The Falcon Flies By**

**Chapter 11 - The Show Must Go On**

**This one took a bit longer, but I'm in the middle of exams, so... Also, it's not even near the wait between chapters seven and eight, for example, haha...**

**Anyway, hope you enjoy!**

**U0 T 0U**

* * *

Shikamaru politely nodded in deference to him when Genma left the room, resisting the urge to rub his eyes. He had been standing there for hours, while Kiba and Neji probably had gotten the nicest breakfast they'd have for another few long weeks.

As expected, the lazy jonin hadn't heard a single peep from their room, and was glad that he hadn't. He suppressed the shiver that came with the image of Sakura and their team leader, and what they could have been doing in there.

He quickly sobered up when he saw the expression on Genma's face, contorted in silent, shaking rage.

"Wha-!?" Shikamaru said in surprise, tensing up immediately.

"It's nothing. Nothing. Leave it." Almost gasping, Genma shut the door behind him.

Shikamaru frowned in worry. "Is she alright?"

The man in front of him leaned back heavily against the wooden door. With automated motions, he found a senbon in one of his pockets and stuck it in his mouth.

_Now I'm almost a hundred percent sure he is or was a smoker. _He thought, as he watched Genma visually calm down.

"She's fine. Stop worrying. She just needs a bit of time to rest up." In simple hand motions known by all Konoha-shinobi, he signed : _A day, and then we're leaving._

Shikamaru nodded in understanding._ What about the enemy?_

Genma shook his head. _Remain careful, Hokage will be informed but we will proceed with the mission._

Before Shikamaru could ask more questions, Genma stood up straighter. "I'm going to go inform the others. I think it's best that you stay here to guard. Try to look nonchalant." He smiled, but it didn't reach his eyes. Slowly, he walked away with his hands in his pockets. Before he turned the corner he signed: _Somebody'll come and relieve you in an hour._

Shikamaru's shoulders sagged a little in disappointment at the prospect of another hour of studying every single detail of the woodgrain and the wallpaper. He much preferred watching the clouds.

* * *

Akamaru liked it here. He _quite _liked it. He had been roaming the grounds for a few hours now, with his tail wagging constantly. He knew it was something the nice lady liked, and if she liked it, he was doing it. He might get some more food and cuddles, after all.

He sniffed the ground and moved on, happy to discover even the smallest of things, easily looked over by beings with a lesser smelling organ.

A few drops of red stared up at him angrily. Confused, the dog smelled the blood, curious as to whom it belonged.

He recoiled, his nose burning. That blood didn't smell good. Blood never smelled good, he had learned, but this one in particular was foul.

He shook his head and tried to clear the smell of the congealed blood from his nose.

He wondered if he should let Kiba know about it, but before he could come to a decision, he spotted a butterfly in the tall grass.

Clearing his head of blood and all that nonsense, he chased after the fluttering insect.

He too had priorities, after all.

* * *

They travelled at a slower pace, but it hadn't delayed them too much. Whenever she felt like she had to stop, she would sit on Akamaru's strong back, as the shinobi bound through the trees. She almost hadn't been able to get up after they paused, so she was happy to have the bear-like dog to depend on.

Somebody always made sure to double back and cover their tracks, but Sakura still worried. Even with Neji's byakugan and Kiba and Akamaru's sense of smell to alarm them should they be followed, she was on edge.

She hadn't slept well.

_Understandably._

Nor had she gained a lot more chakra. She guessed she'd need another week to fully recover. If they were attacked in the mean time, she could only treat wounds with basic civilian aid and hope.

_So fingers crossed, Sakura._

She tried to remember to unclench her jaw now and then and try to look at things without oozing unhappiness. So far, she thought she had done quite a good job, considering.

He hadn't come back yesterday. She didn't know whether she should be happy or disappointed.

She had had lots of time to think, stuck in her bed as she was. Whether it was wrong or right to miss Sasuke, she didn't know, but she did know she hadn't wanted to be abandoned like that by Genma.

She knew she manipulated people, but it was her job, and old habits die hard. It wasn't like she had chosen to be the leader of a giant shadow-assassins organisation. She hadn't wanted to be _a_ leader, let alone of Anbu.

She could feel her face heating up, and not with embarrassment. She unclenched her hands and just buried them in Akamaru's fur.

Six years ago, she joined the elite. Not as their top, as she was now, but right at the bottom of the organisation. Even the Hokage couldn't grant her a free pass to move up. But she had been happy there. Ranks and divisions weren't important to her, as long as she could keep learning. Tsunade had had the same opinion, thinking it would be a great humbling opportunity to learn the inner workings of such a faceless squad, from the bottom up. It was challenging work, but treating the ones that would die happily for the Hokage without another thought, was extremely fulfilling.

Occasionally, she'd heal for Ibiki. They'd come knocking at her door in the middle of the night and she'd go and heal a prisoner - often so badly shredded and burnt, she didn't have chakra the next few days. The first few times she did that, she'd be sick for days afterwards, and just remembering the bloody prisoner and the stench of burnt skin would make her heave. But she kept coming, because she believed she was doing good, for the village, and Ibiki had slowly become more than an acquaintance.

Her thoughts drifted off of the subjects of her worries as memories resurfaced.

Ibiki…, had been a challenge to comprehend, to say the least. She had seen him as a complex puzzle, ready to be solved by anybody who dared step up to him and try.

The problem was, not many dared step up to the giant, scarred interrogator. Let alone try to befriend him.

She had tried, and eventually, succeeded. _To some extent, at least. _

The first non-forced smile of the day appeared on her face.

It had required a ton of patience, perseverance and surprisingly, home-made peanut butter cookies to make the towering man warm up to her. It was the only recipe she could make without messing it up somehow, and she would bring him a batch every now and then.

Nobody knew, of course. It was their little secret. She was pretty sure he'd be mortified if anybody found out.

She liked to think she gained his respect with her medical skills, but sometimes she wondered if her cooking hadn't played a big role too.

She grinned, finally loosening up her tight and tense muscles and rolling her shoulders.

Traveling as a sick person wasn't so bad, she thought, as she scratched Akamaru behind his ear. She usually didn't enjoy being stationary for hours at end, but this was fine with her, as she could still move through the trees at the same speed as the others.

She tried to stay focused, but her mind kept drifting away. It was as if ever since her mind had been invaded and _explored,_ memories played like an endless movie reel in front of her eyes, plaguing and confusing her.

Another memory appeared, making the forest around her seem to fade to the familiar office at the top of the Hokage's office.

Shisou was sitting behind her desk, looking just about ready to murder somebody. She had been in a meeting with the councilors. This meeting in particular hadn't gone well. The old, faceless Anbu commander had died, leaving nothing behind except blank papers in the records and a worried frown on Tsunade's face. It was up to her now to make the final decision, but Sakura already knew what the outcome would be. From the worry lines on Tsunade's face she could tell the councilors had driven a hard bargain, probably in favour of Sakura bacoming the new leader. She could also tell that her Shisou had, in the end, been swayed.

Ultimately, she could have stopped it, had she tried a little harder, but she let it play out, without saying a word. It was one of the things she didn't really want, but privately desired: power. She supposed, in that way, she was just like Itachi Uchiha.

So yes, secretly, she had enjoyed it. Being trusted by people with such big decisions that could end or save their life was a great honour.

It was a challenge for her to try to heal these people that had been used as tools and weapons for years on end. Most wounds had turned to scars, though. She did think she was doing some good, trying to connect with her subordinates on a more familiar level and not just as boss and employee.

_As seen by our spectacular rendez-vous with Genma Shiranui._

She sighed and stared at the man leaping from tree to tree at the front of their formation, leading the way through the forest.

She noticed his hair was cut more crookedly than he usually kept it.

_He must have done it himself._

The fact that he had done it himself, in his usual stubborn way, instead of letting her do it was in itself quite a blow for her.

He had trusted her doing that for years. Ever since their first awkward mission together, where she had had to chop off some badly burned hair. Since then, he hadn't bothered cutting it unless she would do it. He'd sometimes stubbornly go months without cutting it, until it was way past his shoulders, just because she had been on a medical research-mission to Suna.

And now he'd gone and broken that tradition. She wondered if it was a sign from him to her. _A childish, petty signal._

The illusion of happy feelings she had created for herself fell, as she realised most of those memories included Genma, either as a friend, lover or teammate.

_Fuck._

The corners of her mouth, once again pulled down.

_What have I done?_

She pressed her nails into her skin. The pressure wasn't enough to break it, but it was enough to distract herself with the stinging sensation. She did _not_ feel tears welling up. Nope. Blink. Blink.

_We kiss, we make love. I hurt you, you hurt me. We make up and start all over again. That was the deal, right Genma?_

* * *

Neji thought of himself as an intellectual. He might not be street-smart, like Naruto, but he wasn't a strictly by-the-book learner either. And occasionally, yes, he was as bad as Sai with judging people's emotions, but right now he was exactly 97-percent sure that Sakura was sniveling next to him. Either that or she had an allergy to pollen, though he doubted the kunoichi couldn't find a cure for that in her extensive plant library.

He also knew that showing such a weakness was very unusual for the kunoichi, and he wondered what could be the cause of her distress.

Sakura wasn't one to cry in public, and hadn't been one for quite a few years.

The last time he had seen her cry was when the Suna elder Chiyo passed a way, after they had defeated Sasori together. _That must have been quite a emotional roller coaster for the kunoichi. The death of a friend so soon after victory…_

And that had been it. She never cried anymore, either because she didn't feel like it or she was as stubborn as ever.

When they took a break he sat down, unlike the other men, who went to have a drink from a nearby stream. Sakura slipped down onto the ground just as easily, leaning against Akamaru.

At that moment, the dog decided to go drink after all, and she was left sprawled out, staring up angrily at the sky.

He stretched his legs and got up, to sit back down next to her.

"You okay?"

She made a noncommittal sound, making no move to sit up.

He retrieved a bottle of water from his bag holding it above her, making her avert her eyes.

"You've got to drink."

"I guess." she ran a hand through her hair, letting a few strands fall in front of her eyes.

"Thanks." She mumbled, sitting up a little to take a sip, before giving the bottle back.

He settled down more comfortably, opening his bottle again.

"You know, it's alright to cry every now and then."

He took his time drinking from the bottle, to give her time to answer. She was looking at him with wide eyes.

"Didn't think I'd hear that from you."

"Contrary to popular belief, I do have emotions. And contrary to what you believe, you have them too."

"I know I have emotions, Neji, believe me."

"Then cry."

"What...?"

"Cry, for once, Sakura. You don't have to always be strong!" His eyes sparkled angrily, something so foreign to her, she looked away.

"Now is hardly the time."

"When is it the time then?"

"I don't cry less, Neji. I've just become better at hiding it." Her voice hitched at the end, and she cringed as she wiped away the drops spilling onto her cheeks.

"Except for now of course." She laughed at herself, as she always did when somebody saw her cry. As if to say to the other person: _"See? It's nothing, I can laugh about it."_

She sighed, looking for a tissue. "Now look what you've done."

She didn't know whether Neji understood or not, because his face was back to as placid as ever, but her eyes widened again as she felt a hand on her back. A very clumsy, awkward hand.

"I'm sure that whatever or whoever it is that has brought this on is not worth it." His face softened, breaking out into a small smile.

She smiled too, thanking him with her eyes. She changed the subject when she felt the four other chakra dots start to turn back.

"How's Tenten?"

He blinked once, and nodding in understanding, removed his hand from her back.

"She's good, I think."

Already feeling better, she raised her eyebrow without a pause. "What do you mean 'good'? And you _think_? You're married!"

He laughed, a sight so rare, she was awed. "She's good… Sakura. She asked about you a few days ago. She said that if you don't drop in soon to meet the new baby, she'll drag you to our house."

"Wait, what? I already 'met' the new baby. I was the midwife, remember?"

"Of course, but Ten is a bit stressed, I think. Hormonal imbalance and all that."

Sakura grinned, shaking her head. "Oh, no, that should all be done by now. Tenten's just being Tenten, I'd say."

He laughed again, seemingly completely relaxed. He needlessly adjusted the straps of a pouch, as he said: "I appealed to the elders of the clan about what we discussed. They are taking it into consideration."

"Which means…?"

"Which means, if it goes through and should Hinata and Naruto wish so, they could have a relationship, and even marry."

"Wow, that's quite a step forward. How'd you do that?"

"I have my ways, though I guess Ten and me kind of paved the way."

"Hmm… A secret romance, hiding it away from the clan, shirking your clan duties and then, _boom_, telling them you intend to marry a non-Hyuuga! It does take ba- _courage_ to do that."

She coughed, swallowing her words. She didn't want to scare him away too soon, now that he was opening up to her more, but he hadn't even noticed. He was just smiling to himself and looked happy.

Akamaru bound from between the trees, announcing the return of the others, and Neji pulled her up just as they all arrived.

"We'll arrive in a few hours, should everything go well." Genma said, before turning towards Sakura. A bit softer, he added, "Tsunade's has given the go-ahead, so I think we should just stick to the original mission-plan."

She was surprised he even talked to her, but his tone remained strictly professional.

"Sure." She said, wishing she had thought of using a jutsu to cover up red, puffy eyes.

* * *

****U0 T 0U****

**I hope you liked this multiple POV chapter... If you have ant comments, suggestions, feedback, etc... I'd love to hear it!**


	12. Covering Up Our Ignorance

**As The Falcon Flies By**

**Chapter 12 – Covering Up Our Ignorance**

**Hi! This one went fast. I'm done with my exams, so that may be the reason. :) **

**As of the last chapter: 25 000 words. Woohoo!**

**Hope you enjoy this chapter.**

**Uo･ｪ･oU**

* * *

"Sir? Excuse-me, please. Sir, could you help us?" When the clerk on the other side of the security glass didn't respond, she coughed loudly, hoping to get his attention. "Excuse-me, _sir_?" It was a lot colder than she had expected it to be, and this was no time to be standing at a bank locket, waiting for that yawning kid to wake up enough to help her.

_Is that brat ignoring me? Or is everybody deaf here?!_

When rapping on the glass didn't warrant even the measliest of glances, she stepped up her game.

Using the smallest amount of chakra she could, she tipped over his mug, making his forgotten coffee spill all over the desk.

With a smug look she watched him scramble for a tissue to soak up the liquid that was slowly creeping its way towards his computer.

She felt Shikamaru's disapproving stare from behind her, but she just looked at him and shrugged her shoulders. _He was ignoring me._ She mouthed, making Shikamaru groan and roll his eyes at the same time, resulting in quite the comical effect.

"Slow morning, huh?" She said, leaning against the booth, an arm on the windowsill.

Finally, the boy looked up, still looking like a deer in headlights. Sakura saw a crooked name tag dangling from his shirt pocket, stating that his name was 'Ben'.

"Yeah." He gasped, "I don't even know how this could happen! I was just-"

"Hmm, well it's all alright. No need to worry, coffee mugs do tend to fall over in late august. There's nothing you can do about it."

Before his face could, somehow, turn even more perplexed, she changed the subject.

"Anyway, ...Ben, we need to withdraw some money. We're tourists, you see."

"Oh, my name isn't Ben, it must have gotten mixed up-"

"Oh, well, such a shame. Ben suits you!"

"T-thank-you, but-"

"Now, about the money, Ben, we don't have much time, you see, so it would be great if you could give us our receipt. It should be under my name, Satsujin."

"Ah! You're Sayomi? Sayomi Satsujin?" He said, his hand desperately pulling out tissues and trying to soak up it all up before it reached his keyboard.

She smiled sweetly. "I am. Here's my identity card."

"Oh, good. Just a moment please." He took the card from the tray and put it on his keyboard, then checked the status of the coffee. When he saw it wouldn't have any dire effects in the near future, he gave all his attention to Sakura.

He seemed to have gathered his wits and was riffling through alphabetically ordered receipts, looking for hers. "They told me you'd come one of these days, miss. That was a few days ago, though."

"We were held up a little."

"Well, it's no problem, miss. I just need to check your information.

He sat back down on his wonky chair -another item Sakura had considered tempering with- and started cross-referencing her ID with the data on his computer, all the while trying to ignore the patch of wet, coffee soaked wood.

"Everything seems to check out. I just need your signature, here… And here… Thank you very much." She slid the papers back towards him so he could stamp the document with the seal of the city.

"There, that should be it." He said, sliding the receipt back towards her. "Because it's such a large amount of money in one go, it does require an additional stamp from the City Hall."

Sakura sweat-dropped and she could here Shikamaru sigh again behind her.

_Ugh, City Hall. I bet they're even less awake over there than Ben is._

"Is that right?"

"Yes, it's just down the road. Well, not exactly, I mean you still have to take the underground or something, but technically it's down the road."

Sakura opened up her shoulder bag and tucked away her ID and the receipt. "We'll just go and do that, won't we? Have a nice day, further."

She stepped away from the booth, beaming a smile towards him.

"Y-you too, miss!" He shouted after her.

When the pretty girl left, he sat back down, furrowing his brows. His perplexity grew again as he saw the mug. He put it back upright and stared at it a moment longer. He could have sworn he hadn't touched it. _Strange. _

Before he could resume his nap, he heard a dripping sound from under his table.

Puzzled, he crouched down and had a look. The coffee had ran through a crack in the table and was forming a nice big puddle on the ground, dangerously close to some electrical wires.

For the second time that day, he was left scrambling for a tissue.

Xx

They had set up camp just outside of town, on a patch of grass a farmer was kind enough to let them use. Occasionally, they had been woken up by a lone cow walking obliviously through their campsite at night, as this was a cattle pasture, but most of the time it was just really silent.

When they arrived, Shikamaru walked straight up to the tent and unceremoniously dropped down on the blankets.

"Don't sleep for too long, Shikamaru, we still need to do lots today."

"No, no." His muffled response just amused her even more.

With a casual hand-sign, she released her henge, turning her from brown back to the familiar pink.

She sat down next to Kiba, who, for some reason, was whittling away at a piece of wood.

"What are you making?"

Kiba stilled his movements to blow away some woodchips and sawdust, planted his kunai into the ground and presented her with the final product.

"_A stake._" He said, motioning his attack and placing the sharp point over her heart.

"Boop." He said, and grinned. "Now you turn to dust. Poof!"

"I know I'm pretty pale, but not vampire-pale, right?"

"Sure."

"Besides, wouldn't I have already burnt up because of the sun?"

He pursed his lips, leaning back onto his elbows. "I don't know, it's pretty cloudy today."

"Hmm, I could very easily be a vampire."

He laughed. "I'll just have to feed you some garlic then."

"Now you've told me your plan!" Sakura said, smiling and pulling out a blade of grass here and there.

"And aren't silver bullets more effective anyway? I mean, at least you don't have to get into biting distance."

He shook his head and crossed his legs. "Oh, Sakura."

"What?"

"Silver bullets are for werewolves. You'd be a terrible vampire slayer."

She sputtered, "Excuse me? I'd be a great one."

"Oh, really?"

"Yes, really."

"Then how'd you kill them? Throw heavy literature at them?"

"Haha." She said drily. "No, I'd lure them in with my lovely type-O blood. That means you can donate to everybody, so vampires will like it too, right?"

"Ha! It just means your cheap, honey! Take that from a type-AB. It's the most difficult for transfusions. I'm practically a delicacy, and you're an all-you-can-eat buffet at a cheap Chinese restaurant."

"Excuse me!? Don't make me shove that stake down-"

"Enough with the talking, _please_." Shikamaru's exasperated face appeared in the tent opening. He blinked against the light a few times, then settled his annoyed gaze on them.

"Don't be a grump, Shika, it's way too early for that." Kiba said, without looking up from his stake with which he was cleaning his nails with.

"You know, Kiba, Shikamaru's looking pretty pale himself, y'know?"

"Ugh."

The boy next to her looked up. "Now that you said it, yeah! You got something to tell us, Shikamaru?"

He narrowed his eyes and waved the sharp piece of wood at his teammate.

"Got seduced by some hot vampire chick, huh?"

"Bothersome…" he mumbled, "I'm going back to sleep." And with those words, the lazy genius zipped the tent closed.

"We'll just throw a cross at him later, see if it burns his skin." Kiba said, winking.

"Or we pour some holy water over him!" She added.

Kiba nodded sagely. "Yes, young grasshopper, you are learning fast. Soon I will let you craft your very own stakes. Blunt ones of course, can't have a mere apprentice-vampire-slayer handle the big guns yet."

"You are very wise, sensei."

"_Oh for crying out loud!_" A muffled voice came from the tent, as if he was shouting in a pillow.

They both sniggered.

"He sure is grouchy." Kiba said, remembering to keep his voice low, "Did something happen in town?"

"Meh," she said, shrugging, "we had to get a stamp for the money, you know? And the bank clerk was to busy wiping the drool of his cheek to even notice us."

Kiba snorted.

"Then we had go get another stamp at the City Hall. You know what a nightmare that can be."

"Hmm, that's why long missions can be annoying. The paperwork's such a bother sometimes."

She pulled his kunai out of the ground and started toying with it.

"I hope Neji and Genma come back soon. I've had enough of waiting and travel."

"Yeah," he nodded, "they'd better have found a good hotel, if we're going to stay here for a few weeks."

"Meh," she shrugged, "I just want to take a shower. Besides, we probably aren't going to see much of the hotel, besides sleeping there."

"I guess you're right. What is this mission anyway? We weren't really briefed extensively, I have to say. I mean, I know that you're going undercover somewhere and that we're the back up, but…"

"What exactly?"

"Yeah."

"Well, it all depends on what is necessary at the moment. You three will have to be a bit adaptable, in that way. I might need one of you to keep an eye on me, should something go wrong. One of you could keep an eye on the subject. We might need you, for example, to track a target."

"So it's just basic shinobi skills in a different environment?"

"Yup. Same old, same old, except you're going to have to blend in more for this to work."

"So no Akamaru?"

"Sometimes, maybe, for large scale tracking. But he's a bit too recognisable to take to a bar three times a week."

"You know, I might have a jutsu to shrink him down to a normal-sized dog."

"That could work."

They sat in comfortable silence. Kiba was still lying propped up with his elbows, pondering something. She lazily twirled the kunai around her finger, happy with this moment of silence in the fresh morning air.

_It's weird how everything seems to become sharper and more defined the colder it gets. _She studied the farmhouse down the road and the cows, laying lazily in their morning slumber. From where they were sitting, you could see for miles around. The green hills were solely interrupted by the fences with barbed wire.

"So what will you and Genma be doing?"

Sakura blinked, wondering whether she has misheard. "What…?"

"On the mission. What are you and Genma going to do?"

"Oh."

She shook her head, annoyed with herself.

"There's this bar downtown. That will be the key location of our mission. It's the headquarters of a mob boss. Our mission's to make sure he isn't a threat to Konoha."

Kiba frowned. "Why would he be? He's just a civilian."

"Don't underestimate them. It's not because he hasn't trained his chakra that he can't kill us. Crime can be as deadly as a kunai, if used wisely."

"Nice. You should put that in your autobiography."

She laughed and punched his shoulder. "Don't mock me. And I'm not going to write a book about myself."

"You could write one about me. _The Adventures of Kiba and Akamaru, Volume 1-_"

"Oh, so it's a series? I don't know if I can commit to such a project."

"Well, we'll just have to see about that, eh?"

He cleared his throat and continued. "As I was saying, _The Adventures of Kiba and Akamaru, Volume 1: The Search for The Cursed Mask._"

"The Cursed Mask?"

"Yeah, they're always looking for a cursed something in those books, aren't they?"

"Mm, what about: _The Adventures of Kiba and Akamaru: The Last of The Golden Temples._"

"Oh, good one. I can already see the girls lining up for signatures."

"Oh, yeah, me too." Sakura said drily.

"Then after our success in book format, we give the filmrights to some production company and we're set for life."

Sakura grinned. "You'd love to be on the big screen, wouldn't you? Trouble is, I can't write. You'd even be better off with Jiraiya."

Kiba snorted. "Then our story would be a lot different, no?"

"Kakashi would probably enjoy it a lot more, too."

He grinned. "I don't think I'm ready to read that kind of literature about myself."

"Oh! Please don't call Icha Icha literature!"

Behind her, she heard the tent zipper being opened slowly. Shikamaru stepped out in defeat. "I just wanted a nap. One. Nap." He mumbled to himself.

Kiba looked at something behind her. "Well, you can soon do that in a bed, hopefully."

Sakura looked over her shoulder, and sure enough, two familiar figures walked on the dirt road towards their camp.

Sakura got up and stretched, popping her back, then helped up Kiba.

They started breaking up the camp and by the time Genma and Neji arrived, they were already more than half way done.

Before they could even say something, Kiba interrupted.

"You know, Neji, you might be the palest person I know."

"Excuse me?" The Hyuga didn't look very amused.

Kiba looked at Sakura. "I'll get the holy water…"

She nodded in understanding. "I'll get the crucifix."

The confused looks on Neji and Genma's face were enough to make them burst into laughter.

"What…?" Genma furrowed his eyebrows at the laughing pair.

"Oh, _please_, don't ask." Shikamaru shook his head in exasperation.

"Did you guys find a hotel?" Kiba was packing up the tent with ease, while Neji and Shikamaru checked that they hadn't lefy behind any chakra-traces.

"Yeah, we did." Genma nodded and looked at Sakura. "It's the one we had decided on."

"Great, then we're almost set, no?"

"There are still a few things we need to get, but I wrote down some addresses, remember?"

She nodded. "We'll try to get as much as we can today. I think that would be best. Then the others can scout out the city."

"Yeah, ok." She didn't think he was still trying to be purposely cold towards her, but he was clearly uncomfortable with the prospect of spending a whole afternoon alone with her.

Kiba whistled loudly and from somewhere behind the farmhouse, Akamaru came running, looking overjoyed. _He's probably had a great morning, running around the farm. _Sakura thought fondly.

With swift movements, she reapplied the henge and shouldered her backpack. "Ready?"

Genma shouldered his own backpack and started walking to the road. "Yeah, let's go."

* * *

**Uo･ｪ･oU**

**I hope you liked it. If you have any comments, feedback, a love letter, ****criticism, etc... I'm all ears! ;)**

**Also, I'm currently looking for a beta, but I'm having a little trouble finding any. There are just too many to sort through! If you have any advice on that, please PM me or leave a comment below.**

**Sayōnara :D**


	13. Unstable

**As The Falcon Flies By**

**Chapter 13 - Unstable**

**(U・x・U)**

* * *

"Do you like this color more or this one?"

Her pretty nails rested on the two hair colouring products. They had been shopping for over an hour already, but Sakura was enjoying herself immensely. It wasn't often that a kunoichi got to do girly stuff like getting your hair done, getting a manicure and shopping for clothes.

She was enjoying herself, but she wasn't sure if the same could be said of Genma.

She was sure that he wanted to groan every time she asked his opinion on a shade of make-up, like he would've had it still been fine between them, but was holding it in just out of spite.

_Two can play that game, Genma._

"Because this one seems a bit darker, but this one is a bit redder. What do you think? I mean, I've got to pop out, without looking tacky."

He sighed. "I literally have _no_ opinion on hair products, Sakura."

"Oh, come now. Of course you do." She put back one of the bottles and dropped three bottles of the other one in her basket.

"But fine, I can decide on my own." She turned towards him, trying her best not to taunt him too much. Problem was, she really, really, wanted to upset him. She rested one hand one the shelves and read the label on the packaging aloud. "_Intense Chocolate_ will make my eyes pop out more."

Then she twirled around slowly and walked on, running her free hand along the countless bottles and boxes.

She hated mocking him, and the childish glee it brought on whenever she saw his eyes darken at a taunt.

_It's the only way he shows any damn emotion._

Until he wasn't prepared to treat her like a person worth having a decent conversation with, she wasn't going to stop trying to make cracks in the wall between them. Maybe if she could have him burst out, the wall would finally crack, because she couldn't, _wouldn't l_et him go on with his cold treatment of her. Not when they had a mission to fulfill, with the possible threat of Akatsuki hanging over them.

"Or maybe I should just go for blond." Her singsong voice drifted far due to the high ceilings.

"I've never done that one before."

She heard him walk closer. "And that one would be?"

She smiled and slowed her gait. "The dumb blond, of course."

Twirling, she rounded the corner and walked into the next aisle. This one contained stacks and stacks of make-up.

"Ino would love it here. A whole warehouse filled to the brink with cheap lipstick? Definitely worth another visit, I'd say."

"Yeah, well, it's not open to the general public. And normally not open to us, either. It took me quite a while to even get us in here."

"Oh, don't exaggerate, Genma." She dropped a few more things in the shopping basket and turned back towards him. "It took like five minutes. I was there when you bribed the receptionist, remember?"

In a flash, she was slammed against the shelves, making things tumble around her to the floor.

"Genma, what-"

His hand gripped her face none too carefully, making her stare up at him.

Breathlessly, she dropped the basket. It made a loud noise in the empty aisles, bouncing off the walls until it disappeared and the only noise left was their heavy breathing.

She started into his wide, angry eyes, her heart pounding.

"Don't-"

"You got what you wanted." He ground out. "You pushed me over the brink. So now what, huh!?"

His hand clasped painfully around her shoulders, but she'd be damned if she showed him it hurt.

"Let me go." The metal shelves were digging in her back. He was too close.

_Too close. I need space. I can't think like this. I-_

"What is it, Sakura? You look a bit shaken up. I thought this was what you wanted?"

"I c-can't breathe."

"Yet I see you breathing. And talking for that matter."

She didn't like this. It didn't fit him. He was just trying to be somebody he wasn't.

_He isn't this mean._

The anger in his eyes grew when she didn't answer.

"I'm so sick of all this-"

"Stop!" She pushed him hard, shoving with enough chakra to make him stumble backwards. He fell against the opposite, tall shelves and stayed there, so that they mirrored each other.

"You're a broken record, Genma." She said, hating the way her voice always turned hoarse when she was emotional.

"If you're so sick of me, than go! Just go, but stop moaning!"

"No! You don't get to say that to me. I have every right to be upset."

She gritted her teeth. "For what? For… missing my friend?"

She broke down. An hour of trying to break down his walls, and she'd not only succeeded, she'd also smashed through her own in one blow.

"I'm so tired."

_Why am I always crying on this mission?_

Hot tears rolled down her cheeks.

"Christ, Sakura, don't cry."

She slid down in between the fallen products, covering her face.

_Why am I so emotional?_

She kept her face covered, bothered that Genma could see this.

Two hand grabbed her wrists, but she used chakra to keep her hands firmly on her face.

"Oh, come on, Sakura. We both know this isn't the first time I've seen you cry."

Gently, he peeled away her hands and she let him. She stared down at her folded legs, contemplating whether it would be worth it to punch him in the face.

"You-"

"Let's not fight anymore, ok?"

She shrugged and sniffed, wanting a tissue desperately.

"Promise me."

She sighed, trying to wipe those tears away, but he still held her hands firmly in his.

"I promise, Genma."

She could see him relax, his strained face replaced by a more tired one.

"Ok, that's good. Now we have to figure this out."

She looked up at him. He was silent, contemplating something and absentmindedly rubbing her hands with his.

"We've been doing this for years, Sakura." He began, swallowing to make his voice clearer, or to give himself time to think. "And the one thing that ensures a mission failure is us not working together."

"I guess."

He was still crouching, looking down on her. It made her uncomfortable, because not a moment ago he had also been looming over her, but with a lot less pleasant expression.

"So for the sake of our safety and for our teammates, a truce?"

She laughed, happy that it had finally come to this.

"Yeah, that sounds great."

He smiled, easing away her fright.

She smiled back, trying to ignore the hiccups from crying.

"Let's make peace offerings."

He laughed. "What…?"

"Once we're back home, I'll get you some nice new senbons and you get me a box of chocolate from that fancy store in the centre of Konoha. You know the one?"

"Hm."

"Then it's a deal?"

He didn't have to hesitate too long to make up his mind, all frustrations disappearing, or at least moved aside for the sake of the mission.

"It's a deal." They shook hands, both relieved at the way things had turned out.

He pulled her up, his face sobering up. "I'm sorry about all this."

She nodded. "I'm sorry for being a crappy friend."

"Me too."

They paused, an unusual awkward silence between them.

"Is this the moment we hug?"

He snorted, his uncomfortable face turning into something more like what it had used to be. "Sure." He said, and enveloped her in his arms.

"If I didn't know any better, I'd say you orchestrated all of this to make me spend _even more_ money on that chocolatier. They're becoming filthy rich with that appetite of yours."

"Ha! I don't eat that much chocolate!" She said, pushing him away teasingly. "Besides, it just make it easier for people to buy gifts for me. Do you still get socks for Christmas? I don't, no sir!"

He snorted, secretly happy to have some semblance of peace in between them, even if it was a little forced and uncomfortable on both sides.

"Well, now you've made me hungry. Let's finish up here so we can have lunch in town, hm? I've heard they make great grilled red snapper here."

She smiled. "That sounds great. Just help me find a tissue, ok?" She sniffed again, angry with her tear ducts for making her have a runny nose.

He looked left and right, seeing seemingly endless aisles stretch out on either sides.

He sagged, wishing there was done kind of jutsu to help him in this situation.

_Grilled red snapper will have to wait, no matter how much my mouth is watering._

Sakura smiled apologetically and started to put back the fallen make-up brushes and other random things in their place.

"The perks of having a truce, huh?" He mumbled, walking away, scanning the countless products for those dratted tissues.

Before turning a corner, he said, "Oh, and Sakura?"

"Yeah?"

"Get the red hair dye."

Her mumbling reached his ears because of the great acoustics in that room.

"I knew he had an opinion on hair products!"

* * *

This was ridiculous. It couldn't be. She didn't know why she was even contemplating it.

Her hands rested on both sides of the sink, steadying her, as she looked in the mirror.

It was the first time in a long while that she had a single hotel room, all to herself. It was strangely quite liberating.

And disturbing.

She had a lot more time to think now, because there simply was nobody to talk to, unless she went looking for them.

These talks she had with her mind sometimes got out of control, as she convinced herself of things or worried excessively.

She usually could keep it all in check, but the last few days had been hard on her. Even with Genma's patch up, things were still bothering her, and that could kill somebody quite easily on a mission like this.

First most were her emotions. It would be all to easy to chalk them up to her recent breakup, but Sakura couldn't stop thinking it was quite unlike her.

Years of training had made it so. The Head of Anbu couldn't just break down like that, yet she found herself doing just that so many times with ease.

She stared down at the bottom of the sink, seeing nothing but that empty packaging and the simple instructions.

Surely the two minutes had passed? She should look. She would have to, eventually.

_Might as well get it over with while you're still partially sane, Sakura._

Inhaling deeply one last time, she looked at the pregnancy test. She held her breath as her mind tried to comprehend what she saw. There was only one line on the little stick.

_One line!_

In other words, she wasn't pregnant.

She left go of the breath she had been holding in.

_I'm not pregnant. Not. Pregnant._

She shuddered, frowning at herself in the mirror.

_Why would you even think you were pregnant? You and Genma were always so careful._

She growled, annoyed with herself as she threw the test in a bin and washed her hands.

_Then what is wrong with me?! My emotions have been practically derailed the last few days._

She held up a glowing hand too her head and scanned with medical chakra for any irregularities, but nothing seemed out of the ordinary.

She dropped her shaking hands to the sink and turned on the tap, letting the cool water fill her cupped hands slowly. When it spilled over the edges she leaned forward and splashed her face, shocking her system with the cold.

_Wake up. It's like you're in a daze. Wake up. Wake up!_

Tired, she shook her head. It was no use, her memories kept piling up and cluttering her mind, as if it was tainted with the residue of her past.

She turned off the tap and ran her hands through her hair, not bothering to dry them.

With experienced hands she uncapped the hair colouring bottles and prepared the mixture, then got undressed to get in the shower.

_It'll all be fine, just focus on the mission, okay?_

* * *

**(U・x・U)**

**A/N: You know that jutsu Genma wishes he had? It's something I wish I had too. Just a simple '_accio _carkeys' or '_accio _sportbag' and my life would be a lot less frustrating. You know what? Give me all the spells. And the jutsus. I'll happily undergo the Mary Sue-makeover, thank you very much. ;)**

**On another note, sorry about the delay of this chapter. I was on holiday and I had no access to Wi-Fi. I've also started writing another ItaSaku fanfic (yeah!). I don't know if I should post it each week like this one or plan it all in advance, but we'll see.**

**If you have any comments, constructive criticism, love declarations, holiday greetings, feedback, etc..., please leave them below or send me a PM.**

**Hope you all had a great holiday, and Happy New Year!**


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